Oil spill on beach after two cargo ships collide off the Kamarajar Port in Ennore

The oil spill due to the collision of two cargo ships off the Kamarajar Port in Ennore has resutedin pollution of the Chennai’s beaches also. Morning beach walkers found oil on the sands on the Marina beach, near INS Adyar, at Nochikuppam and at Pattinapakkam.
Residents were shocked to see the black oil deposit on the sands of the Marina. Fishermen from Nochikuppam, who brought in their catches after fishing trips, mentioned about a strong smell of oil in the sea. Fishermen organizations have demanded for immediate action to remove the oil spills since it is affecting the livelihood of the fishermen. THey have not been able to venture into the sea for the past two days.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 31 January 2017.

An expert on oil spills has warned people not to go to the beaches that had been polluted because it was very harmful to the skin. Inhaling benzene found in such fuels is also bad. The oil is very heavy oil and difficult to clean. the Coast Guard had issued notice to the owner and master of the ship, MV Dawn Kanchipuram, over the incident.
The volume of the oil that has been spilled is large. Oil spills move due to wave action and also through ocean currents and the waves break up the oil plumes into smaller portions.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Coast Guard arrests fishermen for illegal fishing in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary

Coast Guard personnel have arrested 139 fishermen and have seized 14 seagoing vessels which were engaged in for illegal fishing in the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. Sea fishing is prohibited within the marine sanctuary limits throughout the year.
However, patrolling is increased between November and May because of the mass nesting season of the endangered olive ridley turtles. These turtles enjoy Schedule-1 status under the Wildlife Protection Act. They get entangled in the nets of trawls and vessels for prolonged periods and die of asphyxiation. Moreover, the fast-moving propellers of fishing trawlers strike the turtles and kill them in large numbers.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 30 January 2017.

The arrested fishermen belong to Balaramgadi, Dhamara (in Balasore) and Talchua (in Kendrapara). The Coast Guard also recovered many items of fishing like mono-filament fishing nets, GPS systems, disaster alert transmitters, walkie-talkie communication systems, fish finding gadgets, registration documents of the vessels, identity proof documents of the crews and a haul of three tons of sea fish.
However, none of the vessels had turtle excluder devices installed. These are specialized device through which the trapped sea turtles can escape when caught in fishing nets.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Just four days after the Uri attack, there was panic in Mumbai because of reports that several terrorists have been seen in the area near Uran Naval Base. Immediately, a massive, multi-agency search was mounted by the Navy, Coast Guard, NSG and Maharashtra ATS. They had to locate "a group of suspicious men dressed in black and heard mentioning 'school' and 'ONGC'" near the Uran Naval base in Navi Mumbai.
However, it did not yield any result because it was figment of a 12-year-old girl's fertile imagination.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 29 September 2016.

The local schoolgirl of Uran had mentioned of seeing 4-5 men dressed in Pathan suit and conversing in a different language. They were carrying what looked like weapons. Uran was immediately put on high alert and a massive search operation covering land, air and sea was launched. But, the suspects could not be traced.
Subsequently, during a second round of questioning two days later, the girl conceded that she had concocted the story. She had seen pictures of Islamic State terrorists wearing black clothes and flashing automatic weapons and that prompted her to spread the word that she had spotted them in Uran - she just wanted some thrill.
Such false alarms remain a matter of grave concern because they cannot be ignored. If proved correct, they are a valuable tool in preventing terror attacks. But frequent false alarms contribute to force fatigue because false alerts cost resources and money.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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