ICG helicopter sighted 19 drums from Revadanda and Shrivardhan; 180 kms away from Mumbai

MUMBAI: Seven more corroded drums stored with highly inflammable Naphtha was sighted floating near Shrivardhan in Raigad district—180 kms from Mumbai—by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter sortie on Sunday. The previous day the sortie found 12 such drums 50 kms South-West from Mumbai.
Inspection and test of the drums, the ICG found and the local police authorities confirmed that it contain Naphtha, a flammable liquid hydrocarbon.“Total 19 drums has been recovered during the two days. Each floating drums sighted during routine surveillance sortie on Saturday at Revadanda and Shrivardhan contained 200 Ltrs of hydrocarbon,” the ICG spokesperson told TOI.
After recovering 12 drums on Saturday, the ICG helicopter once again launched on Sunday morning towards coastal reconnaissance as well as to detect any other floating drums. “It was reported that seven more drums found floating close to the coast of Shrivardhan. The local Police of Shrivardhan and Coast Guard team from ICGS Murud Janjira swung into action to recover seven more drums. Prima facie, these iron drums are very old and mostly corroded,” said the official.
Investigations are in progress by the ICG and the local police of Revadanda and Shrivardhan to ascertain the origin of these drums. The ICG has also issued warning to the mariners for safe navigation. “The swift action by the coastal security stakeholders to recover 19 drums proves their unstinted efforts to keep our shores vigil and secure,” said the official.