Nicobar Islands under threat --- Japanese tanker in Indian Ocean spills 4,500 tons of crude oil, owner says - Airliners-India

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TOPIC: Nicobar Islands under threat --- Japanese tanker in Indian Ocean spills 4,500 tons of crude oil, owner says

karatecatman

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Date: Aug 15, 2006

Nicobar Islands under threat --- Japanese tanker in Indian Ocean spills 4,500 tons of crude oil, owner says	Permalink Closed

www.uninews.com Japanese tanker in Indian Ocean spills 4,500 tons of crude oil, owner says August 15, 2006 TOKYO (UNI) A Japanese tanker spilled about 4,500 tons (5.3 million liters, 1.4 million gallons) of crude oil in the eastern Indian Ocean near the Nicobar islands following a collision with a cargo ship, the tanker's operator announced Tuesday. Japan's Kyodo news service said the spill may have been the largest ever involving a Japanese tanker. The Bright Artemis tanker spilled the oil following a collision with the Amar, a smaller cargo ship, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said in a statement. It said the tanker had maneuvered near the Amar, which was in distress about 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of the Nicobars. The exact amount of the spill was not clear, the announcement said. The tanker was carrying about 250,000 tons (294 million liters, 77.6 million gallons) of crude. It had left port in Oman, bound for Japan. There were no reports of injuries aboard the tanker, which had a Croatian captain and a crew of 23. A fire had broken out aboard the Amar, which was registered in Singapore, and its crew was rescued by the Bright Artemis, the announcement said. The accident occurred early Monday, local time. The remote Nicobar islands are located off the east coast of India. Mitsui said the spill had been reported to Singaporean and Indian Coast Guard officials. No further details were immediately available. Will be large scale disaster if it fouls up the Nicobar coast. Why don;t the authorities have a policy on this especialy as it is so near one of the world's busiest shipping lanes? __________________ KCM

karatecatman

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Date: Aug 15, 2006

Indian coastguard shadows oil spill from Japanese tanker	Permalink Closed

www.uninews.com Indian coastguard shadows oil spill from Japanese tanker PORT BLAIR, India, Aug 15, 2006 (UNI) India’s coast guard Tuesday allayed fears that an oil spill from a holed Japanese tanker could cause environmental damage to the pristine Indian Ocean archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar. ‘‘The sea is very rough and so there is no question of the slick, that is if one forms ... hitting our coasts,’’ coast guard spokesman Deputy Commander Krishna Kumar said. The owners of Bright Artemis believe 4,500 tonnes of crude oil had leaked into the eastern Indian Ocean when the tanker collided Monday with a Singaporean ship that was on fire. ‘‘The Bright Artemis approached the vessel to try to save people on the vessel, but accidentally the two collided,’’ a company spokesman said in Tokyo. The crew were later rescued by another ship. The collision ripped through the tanker’s starboard quarter, causing a hole five meters (17 feet) wide and one meter long as strong winds whipped up three-meter-high waves. The oil spill occurred 300 kilometers (200 miles) from Great Nicobar, the southernmost island cluster of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, according to Kumar. Exotic coral reefs, saltwater crocodiles, Ridley turtles and a variety of marine life nestle in the emerald green waters of the island chain, 1,200 kilometres (744 miles) from mainland India. ‘‘The spill has occurred outside Indian territory but we are monitoring it and we will take care of it if the slick enters our waters,’’ Kumar said in Port Blair, headquarters of the Indian navy’s most strategic base in the Indian Ocean. The 146,463-tonne Bright Artemis was carrying 250,000 tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia and Oman when the collision occurred. Japan-oil-accident-India __________________ KCM

karatecatman

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Date: Aug 15, 2006

RE: Nicobar Islands under threat --- Japanese tanker in Indian Ocean spills 4,500 tons of crude oil, owner says	Permalink Closed

More details: from www.uninews.com The collision ripped through the tanker’s starboard quarter, causing a hole five meters (17 feet) wide and one meter long as strong winds generated three-meter-high waves. ‘‘It is difficult to calculate at this moment but the oil leak may have hit some 4,500 tonnes,’’ the spokesman said, adding that no one was injured. After informing Singaporean and Indian authorities of the accident, the 146,463-tonne tanker resumed sailing to Japan as there was no fear of sinking or further oil leakage, the spokesman said. ‘‘Damage to coastlines is expected to be limited as the spilled crude oil was categorized as light oil, which tends to evaporate,’’ the spokesman said. ‘‘And the remaining oil is largely expected to sink into the seabed within a week,’’ the spokesman said, adding that the company had no specific measures in place to clean up the leakage. It may be the largest oil spill accident ever involving a Japanese tanker, Kyodo News said. Japan, the world’s second largest economy, is heavily dependent on energy imports. Nearly all of its oil comes from the Middle East. The spilled crude oil was ordered by Japan’s leading oil refiner and distributor, Cosmo Oil. Share prices in Mitsui O.S.K., Japan’s second-largest shipping company, ended at 808 yen, down 24 yen or 2.88 percent, while those in Cosmo Oil fell 10 yen or 1.85 percent at 530 yen. The falls were inconsistent with the broader market. The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index fell 0.26 percent but the broader TOPIX index of all first-section stocks rose 0.26 percent on Tuesday. __________________ KCM

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