Ruling out any cause of concern over the oil spill from a sunk cargo vessel off the Mumbai coast, Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan has asked the pollution authority to lift samples of the slick.

“I reviewed the matter with my officials in the ministry. At this point of time, we do not see a cause for concern,” Natarajan told reporters outside Parliament on Monday.

“We are are constantly monitoring the situation. As far as exact facts are concerned, this is a matter which is being dealt by the Coast Guard,” she said.

Oil spill from a cargo ship that sank off Mumbai four days back has affected the city with oil reaching the beaches and water near its shoreline.

Quoting Coast Guard reports, Natarajan said, “According to reports, oil is leaking about at the rate of one to two tons per hour. I have asked the local pollution control board to take samples. So far there is no cause of concern. There are some other reasons also for the oil presence in the water.”

She said the Coast Guard has sprayed over 600 litres of aerosol to disperse the spill.

Local fisherman have also been given advisory due to bad weather to stay away from the sea till 15th August, she said.

Oil spill from sunken ship has decreased: Coast Guard

The oil spill from cargo vessel MV Rak off the Mumbai coast has decreased in quantum as compared to Sunday even as the authorities continued their efforts to neutralise resultant environmental pollution.

Freighter MV Rak sank off Mumbai coast four days ago leaking oil and Coast Guard ships have sprayed dispersants to contain the spill which spread to about seven nautical miles around the ship till Sunday.

An aerial recce of the oil slick was carried out by CG helicopter between 0930 and 1030 hrs on Monday.

It was noticed that the oil slick around the source of the spill has decreased in quantum as compared to Sunday and the rate of spill has reduced to approximately 1 ton an hour, a Coast Guard release said on Monday.

It said the oil slick is visibly thin and a broken silvery sheen extending up to two miles from the scene of the incident is seen.

Some of the broken oil patches have also been sighted up to 12 nautical miles from the sunken vessel.

Coast Guard ships Samudra Prahari and Sankalp continue to be engaged in Pollution Response (PR) operation.

In order to neutralise peripheral oil patches, CG has pressed one more ship ICGS Amrit Kaur into action.

A Dornier aircraft of the CG from Daman has also been deployed.

“Every effort is in hand to check fresh oil hitting the coast/beaches,” the release said.

Three CG teams comprising 30 personnel have been deployed for assisting BMC, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and state authorities in analysing the impact in the affected areas and taking appropriate remedial actions, it said.