Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru ports will start receiving ships from August 14 after being shut since last Saturday following a collision between two cargo vessels off the coast of Mumbai, reported the Indian Express.
No ships are operating in the Mumbai Port Trust area for fear of colliding with the containers that fell off from vessel MSC Chitra, which started tilting when one of its hatches got hit by the vessel MV Khalijia III.
JNPT is closed during the night and only a "few movements of ship were undertaken during the day", a government report said.
The report says that though 31 containers containing chemicals had fallen into the sea, they "pose no direct threat to people". As many as 26 of the boxes contain solid sodium hydroxide while the rest phosphatic pesticides in cylinders. About 250 containers fell into the sea.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the entire clean-up exercise, including the removal of chemicals from the affected area in the sea, would take about 45 days.
Ramesh said the government had also issued an advisory for the fishermen not to venture into the sea till Sunday.
Meanwhile, according to The Hindu, even as efforts were on to resume navigation in Mumbai harbour by Saturday, the government has ordered the owner of MSC Chitra, Mediterranean Shipping Company, to pay damages for its collision with the MV Khalijia III.
Ministry of Shipping Secretary K. Mohandas told The Hindu that the Panamanian owner and the insurers would have to bear the costs. Whatever the terms of the insurance of the vessel, the government would seek third party damages.
The Ministry of Shipping has appointed the Mumbai Port Trust as the nodal agency to work out the third party insurance claims. The various kinds of damage suffered, including environment costs, were being assessed.
The owner of MSC Chitra has engaged a Singapore-based salvage agency and it would be its responsibility to clean up the thick film of oil that had spread across the surface of the Arabian Sea in the vicinity of the collision.
Mohandas said the government was monitoring the situation to ensure that the owner carried out all the necessary measures.
Much like the BP having to bear the cost of the Mexico Gulf incident, the fact that the government directed the ship owner to bear damages was a clear indication that the vessel was being held responsible for the collision.
About one million tonnes of oil had spilled in the Mexico Gulf, whereas in comparison the oil slick was around 500 to 800 tonnes at the Mumbai harbour.
Mohandas said that in case the director-general of shipping found the Khalijia was also responsible for the collision then it would also have to bear the cost as well.
Admitting that Khalijia had a problem last year, Mohandas said that it had drifted and it was being investigated how this vessel had been allowed to enter the harbour.
As regards the Chitra, which was 30 years old, he clarified that it had been allowed to enter the port based on the valid inspection certification it possessed.
Both are single hull ships, which the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has banned. The secretary said such ships had been permitted to enter Indian ports till the end of 2010 and from 2011 they would stand banned. No ship with single hull would be registered in India. The existing Indian ships have been given a grace time to operate till 2015.
No ships are operating in the Mumbai Port Trust area for fear of colliding with the containers that fell off from vessel MSC Chitra, which started tilting when one of its hatches got hit by the vessel MV Khalijia III.
JNPT is closed during the night and only a "few movements of ship were undertaken during the day", a government report said.
The report says that though 31 containers containing chemicals had fallen into the sea, they "pose no direct threat to people". As many as 26 of the boxes contain solid sodium hydroxide while the rest phosphatic pesticides in cylinders. About 250 containers fell into the sea.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the entire clean-up exercise, including the removal of chemicals from the affected area in the sea, would take about 45 days.
Ramesh said the government had also issued an advisory for the fishermen not to venture into the sea till Sunday.
Meanwhile, according to The Hindu, even as efforts were on to resume navigation in Mumbai harbour by Saturday, the government has ordered the owner of MSC Chitra, Mediterranean Shipping Company, to pay damages for its collision with the MV Khalijia III.
Ministry of Shipping Secretary K. Mohandas told The Hindu that the Panamanian owner and the insurers would have to bear the costs. Whatever the terms of the insurance of the vessel, the government would seek third party damages.
The Ministry of Shipping has appointed the Mumbai Port Trust as the nodal agency to work out the third party insurance claims. The various kinds of damage suffered, including environment costs, were being assessed.
The owner of MSC Chitra has engaged a Singapore-based salvage agency and it would be its responsibility to clean up the thick film of oil that had spread across the surface of the Arabian Sea in the vicinity of the collision.
Mohandas said the government was monitoring the situation to ensure that the owner carried out all the necessary measures.
Much like the BP having to bear the cost of the Mexico Gulf incident, the fact that the government directed the ship owner to bear damages was a clear indication that the vessel was being held responsible for the collision.
About one million tonnes of oil had spilled in the Mexico Gulf, whereas in comparison the oil slick was around 500 to 800 tonnes at the Mumbai harbour.
Mohandas said that in case the director-general of shipping found the Khalijia was also responsible for the collision then it would also have to bear the cost as well.
Admitting that Khalijia had a problem last year, Mohandas said that it had drifted and it was being investigated how this vessel had been allowed to enter the harbour.
As regards the Chitra, which was 30 years old, he clarified that it had been allowed to enter the port based on the valid inspection certification it possessed.
Both are single hull ships, which the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has banned. The secretary said such ships had been permitted to enter Indian ports till the end of 2010 and from 2011 they would stand banned. No ship with single hull would be registered in India. The existing Indian ships have been given a grace time to operate till 2015.