Oil Spill As Ship Dashes Against Rocks

The Indian Coast Guard has reported an oil spill in the Arabian Sea off the Karwar coast following a merchant ship dashing against a rock. Chetak helicopters and Dornier aircraft, which had kept up surveillance around the stranded vessel MV Ocean Seraya, noticed the spill on Wednesday afternoon. "We are monitoring the situation. At present the spill is minor. One tank of the ship must have been ruptured after hitting rocks," Commander R.M. Sharma, deputy inspector-general of the Indian Coast Guard, said. "We have mobilised our equipment. Oil spill dispersants would be sprayed on the spill by helicopters and aircraft. We have also commissioned a ship to control the spill from spreading," he said.Indian Coast Guard VesselMV Ocean Seraya, a Singapore-registered 230-metre-long ship, had hit the rocks due to rough weather in the Arabian Sea off Karwar coast. "There is around 650 tons of fuel onboard, but it is distributed in various tanks for balancing the vessel. One amongst those tanks have ruptured," Commander Sharma said, adding, "The situation is not alarming and the spill will be controlled by port authorities." Commander Sharma stated that the Karwar district authorities were alerted on Tuesday about possibility of oil spillage. Following the spillage, the Indian Coast Guard has told the Karwar district administration to take necessary measures to remove oil from the vessel. "We have also asked them to use absorbant and other material to control the spill," Commander Sharma said. Meanwhile, the search for Azim Juvale, second in command of the ship, who had jumped overboard after the ship met rough weather, is still on.