Ramesh inspected the coastline near Elephanta Island, along with Maharashtra Environment Minister Suresh Shetty, followed by a review meeting with various agencies.
“In terms of location (off Mumbai harbour), timing (during southwest monsoon) and quantity (2,000 tonnes of fuel oil), India has not seen such an oil spill till date,” Ramesh said.
“It is a freak accident. This is a unique spill and we have been confronted with a new situation,” he added.
The minister also mentioned that there are lessons to be learnt and a system will soon be put in place to combat such pollution. India needs to be a member of the international conventions. “We need to be a part of the bunker convention of the International Maritime Organisation which will enable India to have more funds in terms of claims,” he said. Normal operations at ports will be restored only after the hazard posed by surfacing of containers on the channel is checked, he added.
The environmental damage is massive. “There is undoubtedly a substantial impact on the 100-km coastline, 70 km of which are mangroves. However, the degree of the damage will be known only after an assessment report,” he said.
While the preliminary assessment will be available in a few days, detailed assessment will be available only after three months.