An inquiry had been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident. All other ship movement was normal, authorities of the port, which was earlier known as Ennore Port, said.
The mishap occurred at 4 AM when 'M T BW Maple' with flag "Isle of Man" was leaving the port after emptying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and M T Dawn, Kanchipuram, loaded with petroleum oil lubricant (POL) was on its way to berth, a release from the port said.
"Both the vessels are safely afloat and anchored," the release said, adding the extent of damage caused was under assessment and senior port officials were closely monitoring the situation.
A Coast Guard helicopter has also been pressed into service to assess the situation. Mercantile marine dept will investigate the matter.