Bhubaneswar: The Indian Coast Guard authorities have apprehended the stranded Malaysian cargo ship of posing threat to the ecosystem of the Chilika lake.
The ship with total10 crew members including nine Malaysian and one Indian citizen was veered off its sea route towards the coast near the Chilika lake due to disturbed sea.
The Coast Guard apprehended that leakage of oil from the ship can create pollution in the lake affecting the biodiversity of the lake. The agency has also written to the owner of the ship to ensure that there is no leakage of oil from the ship. The owner of the ship has also been asked to rope in experts to salvage the ship to prevent leakage of oil.
The officials said that the ship has a stock of 30000 litres of diesel, 1000 litres of lubricant and 200 litres of hydraulic oil.
The ship was carrying a consignment of iron ore and other minerals from Malaysia to Bangladesh and was heading to Vishakhapatnam when it was trapped in the storm.
Prasanta Patnaik