Around one lakh litre of diesel spilled off Mundra coast in Kutch district of Gujarat from the oil jetty of a private port today, when a consignment of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) was being off-loaded from a ship.
"The incident took place when a diesel consignment of HPCL was being transferred from the ship to the tanks. The valve of one of the tanks was tightened so much that due to the back pressure, the pipeline ruptured for 3-4 minutes, resulting in a leakage of about one lakh litre," Principal Secretary Forest and Environment SK Nanda said here.
"The leakage has been contained. Since the major spill is on the land side and not in the sea directly, it's not a major concern. But, we shall take stock of the situation through our agencies like Gujarat Maritime Board and Gujarat Pollution Control Board," he said.
According to an HPCL spokesperson, a minor leakage has been reported at Mundra port, but it was negligible and has been contained.
However, DGM Marine Operations Mundra Port Capt Nandi denied that any spill.
"A ship called Ushma, which arrived from Singapore, is discharging gasoline on account of cargo of HPCL here. I can assure you that there hasn't been any spill," Nandi said.