In the wee hours of Jan 28 two ships collided about 2 nautical miles from the Kamaraj Port. The LPG tanker BW Maple which was leaving the port after discharging the gas tanker collided with the in bound chemical tanker Dawn Kanchipuram around 4am. The hull of the ship was ripped, damaging the ship's accommodation as well as the pipe lines of the deck.
The Accident Scene :
The scene was near by the port so the authorities would not have any problem in reaching the site on time. But as mentioned, the early hours darkness might have been a problem in indicating the severity of the problem. We don't have any actual accident investigation report so we could not point a finger at a certain ship and say that they are responsible
The Observation :
The firt news report given by the port state control was a little sloppy. They have quoted that " According to Kamarajar port authorities, the crew members escaped unhurt and there was no environmental damage. There was only a minor oil spill from the fuel tank due to the impact, said additional director general of police of Coastal Security Group C Sylendra Babu who inspected the accident site
What is an Oil Spill ?
It is no rocket science. The oil accidentally or purposefully spilled over the surface of the sea is called as an oil spill . So, what happens next ? Oil does not dissolve in water and it undergoes a process called weathering, which is a biological , physical and chemical process. Basically the spilled oil, degrades through a natural process with the help of sunlight, tidal waves, sea temperature and some bacteria.
Effects :
The effects depends on the type of oil spill that takes place.
1. Very light oils ( gasoline and jet fuel ) which is very toxic to the marine life but it will evaporate soon as the cleaning process is not a pain in the neck .
2. Light oils (Diesel ) this produces a thin line of residue in water and that can be cleaned effectively still they cause a significant amount of problem for the marine species.
3. Medium oils (crude, petroleum ) they are the severe toxic oils to the marine species, especially in the inter tidal waters were we have the sea birds and mammals and other marine species as they can adhere to their feathers , body and which wont come off that easily leading to the death of the animals( couldn't explain the biology behind it , kindly google it )
4. Heavy oils and very heavy oils have the adverse effect too but we don't want their technical data in this current scenario.
How is Sea Life Affected ?
It changes the metabolism of the sea dwellers and kills them and affects the health of the organisms that survives, they change the food habits , disrupt the shell development of the invertebrate and cause their death due to suffocation. This affects the offspring's of the mammals and sea dwellers. Fishes can experience impeded growth, respiratory and cardiac malfunctioning , problems in larva development which gives the low survival rate for their offspring.
The other side effects of the sea dwellers include inability to reproduce , abnormal behaviors ,severe breach in their immune system and skin irritation .
The Usual Procedure :
The usual procedure that is used to contain an oil spill and to stop from further travelling of the film of oil residues. The usual methods are skimmers , chemicals and burning. See the figure to understand the procedures.
The current Scenario :
Due to the lack of technical expertise and proper early assessment , the oil spill has traveled 37 Kms all through the banks and beaches of ECR. Only skimming is a possible option now. Using chemicals will eradicate the marine species totally that too near the coastal area (micro organisms play a major role in the marine life , so chemicals will kill them and boom ! no marine life only). Burning is also a dangerous procedure as the spillage is near the coast and a tanker terminal so we have to let go of the option. That too skimming cant be done in shallow waters as the board would run aground and cause more trouble . So they are carrying the buckets and dumping the oil in the beaches (which is literally the most stupid idea)
Efffects of Clearing the oil spill by hands :
Irritation in the skin, breathing problems. We must take the protective measures like goggles , face masks and a proper cover all as the oil should not touch the skin and avoid eating the sea foods from the contaminated area for a while. The long term effects are not that known to us.
What Should be done ?
Call for expertise help. Many oil spills have happened all over the place. We can get help from them. But we wont . And stop giving bullshit talks in the TV with the look that you know everything . Even the expertise don't know what exactly is happening. This is not about state or central government but it is about how quick we can balance the Eco system. 1500 members to remove the oil spill of 37kms ? That too with buckets ! And we talk about it on the seventh day ? I know we know nothing about oil spills . Its okay why don't you learn from the accidents !!!
Comedy of Errors :
The high court doesn't know how to detain both the ships. (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/Chennai-oil-spill-HC-refuses-to-detain-vessels/article17170316.ece) .
The government says that it will give the compensation for the fishermen. Losers ! screw the shipping companies. You don't have the guts to catch them by the collar and make sure our justice system is withhold. We have DG shipping , and let the high-court not come in and say we don't have any provision to hold them.
Lets not make this more complicated than it already is.
Lets not give up .
Save Sea. Save Earth .
With Love,
Arvi
The Accident Scene :
The scene was near by the port so the authorities would not have any problem in reaching the site on time. But as mentioned, the early hours darkness might have been a problem in indicating the severity of the problem. We don't have any actual accident investigation report so we could not point a finger at a certain ship and say that they are responsible
The Observation :
The firt news report given by the port state control was a little sloppy. They have quoted that " According to Kamarajar port authorities, the crew members escaped unhurt and there was no environmental damage. There was only a minor oil spill from the fuel tank due to the impact, said additional director general of police of Coastal Security Group C Sylendra Babu who inspected the accident site
What is an Oil Spill ?
It is no rocket science. The oil accidentally or purposefully spilled over the surface of the sea is called as an oil spill . So, what happens next ? Oil does not dissolve in water and it undergoes a process called weathering, which is a biological , physical and chemical process. Basically the spilled oil, degrades through a natural process with the help of sunlight, tidal waves, sea temperature and some bacteria.
Effects :
The effects depends on the type of oil spill that takes place.
1. Very light oils ( gasoline and jet fuel ) which is very toxic to the marine life but it will evaporate soon as the cleaning process is not a pain in the neck .
2. Light oils (Diesel ) this produces a thin line of residue in water and that can be cleaned effectively still they cause a significant amount of problem for the marine species.
3. Medium oils (crude, petroleum ) they are the severe toxic oils to the marine species, especially in the inter tidal waters were we have the sea birds and mammals and other marine species as they can adhere to their feathers , body and which wont come off that easily leading to the death of the animals( couldn't explain the biology behind it , kindly google it )
4. Heavy oils and very heavy oils have the adverse effect too but we don't want their technical data in this current scenario.
How is Sea Life Affected ?
It changes the metabolism of the sea dwellers and kills them and affects the health of the organisms that survives, they change the food habits , disrupt the shell development of the invertebrate and cause their death due to suffocation. This affects the offspring's of the mammals and sea dwellers. Fishes can experience impeded growth, respiratory and cardiac malfunctioning , problems in larva development which gives the low survival rate for their offspring.
The other side effects of the sea dwellers include inability to reproduce , abnormal behaviors ,severe breach in their immune system and skin irritation .
The Usual Procedure :
The usual procedure that is used to contain an oil spill and to stop from further travelling of the film of oil residues. The usual methods are skimmers , chemicals and burning. See the figure to understand the procedures.
The current Scenario :
Due to the lack of technical expertise and proper early assessment , the oil spill has traveled 37 Kms all through the banks and beaches of ECR. Only skimming is a possible option now. Using chemicals will eradicate the marine species totally that too near the coastal area (micro organisms play a major role in the marine life , so chemicals will kill them and boom ! no marine life only). Burning is also a dangerous procedure as the spillage is near the coast and a tanker terminal so we have to let go of the option. That too skimming cant be done in shallow waters as the board would run aground and cause more trouble . So they are carrying the buckets and dumping the oil in the beaches (which is literally the most stupid idea)
Efffects of Clearing the oil spill by hands :
Irritation in the skin, breathing problems. We must take the protective measures like goggles , face masks and a proper cover all as the oil should not touch the skin and avoid eating the sea foods from the contaminated area for a while. The long term effects are not that known to us.
What Should be done ?
Call for expertise help. Many oil spills have happened all over the place. We can get help from them. But we wont . And stop giving bullshit talks in the TV with the look that you know everything . Even the expertise don't know what exactly is happening. This is not about state or central government but it is about how quick we can balance the Eco system. 1500 members to remove the oil spill of 37kms ? That too with buckets ! And we talk about it on the seventh day ? I know we know nothing about oil spills . Its okay why don't you learn from the accidents !!!
Comedy of Errors :
The high court doesn't know how to detain both the ships. (http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/Chennai-oil-spill-HC-refuses-to-detain-vessels/article17170316.ece) .
The government says that it will give the compensation for the fishermen. Losers ! screw the shipping companies. You don't have the guts to catch them by the collar and make sure our justice system is withhold. We have DG shipping , and let the high-court not come in and say we don't have any provision to hold them.
Lets not make this more complicated than it already is.
Lets not give up .
Save Sea. Save Earth .
With Love,
Arvi
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