Chennai

The Kamarajar Port authorities here said no one was injured in the mishap. They also added that there was no oil leakage and the ships only suffered minor damages. However, Coastal Security sources said that a small amount of diesel had leaked but not in alarming levels. 

Fortunately, the LPG tanker, MT BW Maple, sailing under the Isle of Man flag, was empty when the collision happened. Otherwise, it could have been a major disaster as the other vessel, MT Dawn Kanchipuram, sailing under the Indian Flag, was carrying petroleum oil lubricants. “The mishap happened when one ship was coming in for anchoring and the other was leaving the port. Investigations are on to ascertain the reason for the collision,” J Atchayanathan, PRO of Kamarajar Port told DTNext. 

The Coast Guard and the Coastal Security Group are now monitoring the area. “As of now we have not got reports of oil leaks. If there was a leak, we could have faced an emergency. We have enquired whether an evacuation was needed and got a reply in the negative,” C Shylendra Babu, ADGP, Coastal Security Group, told DTNext. Port authorities said both vessels are afloat and are being anchored. The port activities have not been affected due to the accident. Port sources said poor visibility due to fog could have been the reason for the collision. “The accident did not pollute the environment. Reports on largescale oil leaks are not true,” Atchayanathan said.

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