MV Princess Miral sinking: Pollution response operation in full swing

Mangaluru: Efforts are underway to manage any probable leakage of oil from merchant ship MV Princess Miral, that ran aground off Mangaluru coast, the Indian Coast Guard said on Saturday.

Coast Guard Pollution Response team and experts are continuously analyzing the situation and also assisting the state administration and New Mangalore Port Authorities by conducting pollution response operations and shoreline clean-up training sessions and mock drills, it said in a media release

Officials of  ICG continue to monitor the situation around the grounded merchant ship MV Princess Miral of New Mangalore for any probable leakage of oil from the ship, the media release added.

Along with district administration and other stakeholders, it is also being coordinated for shoreline clean-up in case of any oil spill. Constant surveillance has been undertaken by Coast Guard aircraft and ships in the area around the vessel and onshore for pollution response since June 21.

A fully equipped Pollution Control Vessel, ICGS Samudra Pavak from Porbandar, arrived on Saturday, June 25 morning off New Mangalore and joined the pollution response operation at sea along with ICG ships and aircraft.

As of date, 9 ships of Coast Guard and resource agencies, and 3 Coast Guard aircraft are on task for assessment and monitoring of the sea area of New Mangalore.

These assets are continuing the necessary preventive measures. Netravati river is in close proximity to the vessel which is grounded close to shore therefore as a precautionary measure, the river mouth has been barricaded from the seawards side using inflatable booms so as to prevent containment of the river in case of any leakage of oil from the ship.