Goa asks Coast Guard to track down oil dumping ship
April 21st, 2011 - 7:20 pm ICT by IANSPanaji, April 21 (IANS) The Goa government has asked the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) to hunt down an unidentified rogue ship which dumped oil off the coast leaving several of its popular beaches layered with oily streaks and tar balls earlier this week.
Speaking to IANS Thursday, Deputy Collector Levinson Martin, who is holding additional charge as Director of Science and Technology, said ICG had been instructed to track down the errant ship and keep vigil on the coastline to ensure that vessels do not illegally discharge burnt oil from their tanks in the seas off Goa.
“The Coast Guard have been asked to locate the vessel responsible for the tar ball deposits on the Varca-Benaulim beach. I have issued the instruction because I am holding additional charge of the state government’s Science and Technology department,” Martin said.
The beaches of Varca-Benaulim located 40 km from here, were layered by the oily residue, Monday evening. Marine scientists have attributed the messy ‘tar ball’ phenomenon, to the discharging of burnt-oil into the sea off the coast by sea-going ships, resulting in large quantities of semi-solid oil lumps, depositing on the beaches in the vicinity.
Goa’s tourism season was threatened last year, as several of its beaches both in north and south Goa were layered with tar balls. And the repeated occurrence is worrying the state government.
“We have also asked the Coast Guard to keep vigil to ensure that the discharge of oil does not happen again along the coastline,” Martin said.
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- Sunken ship spewing less oil, say maritime authorities - Aug 09, 2011
- Congress MP asks Jairam Ramesh to probe Goa oil spill - Sep 02, 2010
- Mumbai beaches face oil spill, people asked to stay off (Lead) - Aug 07, 2011
- Fresh tar balls sweep across Goa beaches - Sep 17, 2010
- Tar balls continue to pollute Goa beaches - Aug 31, 2010
- Tourism industry hopes for best as tar invades Goa beaches - Sep 01, 2010
- Coast guard rescue nine crewmen from sinking ship - Aug 04, 2011
- Efforts on to check worst oil spill in Arabian Sea (Second Lead) - Aug 08, 2010
- Black tar balls appear on Goa beaches - Aug 31, 2010
- Another ship stuck at Mumbai's Juhu beach (Lead) - Jul 31, 2011
- Coastal security radar stations to be ready this year - Feb 15, 2012
- Efforts on to check oil spill off Mumbai (Lead) - Aug 08, 2010
Tags: beaches, coast guard, coastline, deputy collector, goa government, levinson, lumps, marine scientists, oily residue, science and technology, south goa, state government, streaks, tar ball, tar balls, technology department, tourism season, varca, vicinity, vigil