Collision Dumps Hundreds of Containers, Closes Port

Ships collide spilling containers of oil and other chemicals into the busy Mumbai sea lane Saturday, closing India's Busy Port of Mumbai.

The Panamanian flagged M.S.C. CHITRA and St. Kitts flagged M.V. KHALIJIA-II collided about five miles off the Mumbai coast Saturday morning. The impact caused the fully loaded Chitra to run aground and start tilting, eventually dumping an estimated 300 containers and 500 tons of oil and lubricants into the Arabian Sea.

Late Monday the leak was plugged. Tuesday authorities continued to work to gather all the containers and manage the oil spill that has left a 3-mile slick encompassing the ship. The Port of Mumbai closed and will remain closed until Wednesday while officials work to clear the sea-lanes.

The collision occurred at 9:35 a.m. on Aug. 7 and may have happened as the two vessels were using different radio frequencies to notify others of their position. The MSC Chitra was leaving Mumbai when it collided with the MV Khalijia III, 33 crewmembers were rescued.

The Chitra, and its containers, have made navigation around Mumbai's two ports dangerous. The Mumbai Port Trust and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which each handle more than 100,000 tons of cargo per day, were both affected.

The Press Trust of India reported that India's Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh confirmed that legal action has been initiated against the vessels' owners. Port Officials said in a statement that the sea lanes will be cleared in 2 or 3 days.

Salvagers from Smit Internationale NV are working to stabilize the ship and its cargo.

Photo Courtesy of AFP