Oil spill in Chennai sea being cleared: Official

A co-ordinated action involving the Coast Guard and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board among others is underway to remove the oil spill caused by Saturday's collision of two cargo ships in the sea off suburban Ennore.
The shoreline in and around Ennore and Kasimedu in north Chennai was hit by the oil spill, Tiruvallur District Collector E Sundaravalli clarified here today.
The mishap occurred at 4 am on January 28 when 'M T BW Maple' with a flag of Isle of Man was leaving the port after emptying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and M T Dawn, Kanchipuram, loaded with petroleum oil lubricant (POL) was on its way to the berth at the Ennore port.

The port authorities had then said there was no casualty or injury to anyone and also, no damage to the environment.
"There is an oil spill after the incident on January 28. Officials, including those from TNPCB and Fisheries, were deployed by the government to look into the situation," Sundaravalli, under whose jurisdiction the affected area falls, told reporters here.
She said three Chennai Metro Water's super suckers (machines, mounted on trucks) were being deployed to remove the oil spill and expressed hope that it will be cleared.

Super suckers are normally used by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board to clear silt.

Sundaravalli said the Coast Guard was trying to remove the oil spill manually and also monitoring its spread and removal by pressing its choppers into action.
Asked about the fishermen getting affected and their livelihood hit due to the incident, she said Fisheries Department officials were looking into it and will give a report to the government.
Replying to another question, Sundaravalli said officials were also studying the impact of the oil spill on the marine life in the region.
The sea water had blackened and some turtles were found dead near the north Chennai shoreline in the aftermath of the incident.