Kochi ship accident: A major accident has occurred in the sea in the southern Kollam district of Kerala. On Saturday, a Liberian cargo ship sank in the sea. Police said on Monday that after the ship sank, the containers kept in it have now started flowing towards the shore. It is a matter of relief that all the 24 crew members on this ship have been rescued safely. But due to the sinking of the ship, a huge amount of oil has spilled in the sea, due to which an alert has been issued in the entire state.
The ship had dangerous containers
According to the information received, a total of 640 containers were loaded in this ship. Out of these, 13 containers contained dangerous material. Police said that after the ship capsized and sank on Saturday, oil has started leaking in the coastal areas. According to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), about 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil were present in the tanks of the ship. Apart from this, flammable chemicals like calcium carbide have also been found in some containers, which can release acetylene gas on coming in contact with sea water.
Containers started flowing in the coastal area
Oil is flowing from the sunken ship at a speed of about three kilometers per hour and spreading towards the sea shores. Due to this, an environmental crisis has arisen in the entire coastal area of Kerala. This accident has also affected fishing and sea transport. Coastal police said that some containers had flowed towards the shore on Sunday itself. So far, at least four containers have been found on the Kollam coast. Officials have appealed to the local people not to try to touch the containers or any suspicious object found on the shore. Additional security forces have been deployed to control the situation.
Administration and Coast Guard alert
The administration and the Indian Coast Guard are fully alert to deal with this disaster. The ICG is coordinating pollution control and relief operations. At the same time, efforts are also on to prevent the oil spill from spreading. Keeping in mind its impact on the environment, the state government and central agencies are trying to solve this crisis together. It will have to be seen in the coming days how much damage has been caused and how quickly it can be controlled.
