Malaysian cargo ship topples at Odisha’s Chilika

Puri: Tug JIN HWA 32, a Malaysian cargo vessel that ran aground off Odisha’s Chilika lake on August 9, reportedly toppled today.

Fortunately, the engine of the ship was safe and no leakage of fuel has been reported. The incident comes days after Puri district administration initiated talks with the owner of vessel regarding removal of oil from the ship.

On the other hand, Puri Collector Balwant Singh said oil removal process will begin from tomorrow and get completed in two days.

Earlier, the Coast Guard had raised concern over possible spillage of oil from the vessel. It had apprised the Odisha Government about the threat to the eco-sensitive coastal zone off Chilika lake and Odisha coast due to the possible leakage from the cargo ship which contains 30,000 litres of diesel, 1000 litres of lube oil and 200 litres of hydraulic oil.

Notably, the Malaysian cargo ship, which was heading towards Visakhapatnam, had drifted towards the Odisha coast due to a storm in the Bay of Bengal. The ship has been anchored near Rajhans island close to Chilika lake under Krushnaprasad police limits in Puri district, since then.