LPG, oil-ladden ships collide off Chennai; 'not very grave', says Coast Guard
Two ships carrying LPG and high speed diesel collided near Chennai this morning. Indian Coast Guard is assessing the damage caused by the incident.
In a major incident in the Bay of Bengal, two ships collided today off Ennore port near Chennai.
The colliding ships were MT Dawn Kanchipuram carrying high speed diesel and lube oil and MT Maple bearing Isle of Man flag carrying LPG.
The incident took place around 4 am, when Indian vessel MT Dawn Kanchipuram was coming into the port.
It is not yet known as to what caused the collision of two ships in such a high security port.
The Indian vessel carrying petroleum products was coming into the port when the accident took place.
No casualty was reported in the collision. But, the Indian vessels sustained damage.
Reports suggested that a few tones of oil was said to have spilled out of the MT Dawn Kanchipuram.
The Coast Guard sources said that the situation was 'not very grave and the port is controlling it."
No further spillage was reported. The movement of other ships are said to be normal.
Both ships were later anchored safely while Coast Guard helicopters were pressed into service to assess the damage and spillage.
An inquiry has been ordered into the incident. Indian Coast Guard is likely to conduct the probe as it has certain expertise in assessing and containing oil spillage.
The Coast Guard has placed its ships in the affected area for firefighting if situation worsens.
A statement from Ennore port, officially named as Kamarajar port, said that there was no damage to environment. The vessels are safely afloat and anchored. The extent of damage is under assessment, the statement read.
(With inputs from agencies)