Indian Coast Guard, ports, petroleum companies discuss ways to combat oceanic chemical spills

With India being one of the most famous oil and chemical importers, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), major ports and petroleum companies, on November 23, 2023, discussed the ways of enhancing preparedness to handle oil spill disasters along the Indian waters in the future.

The Director General of the Indian Coast Guard, Rakesh Pal, chaired the 25th Meeting of the National Oil Spill  Disaster Contingency plan in Gujarat Vadinagar Coast. All major stakeholders, including Reliance Industries, Nayara Energy and Hindustan Petroleum.

Threat from Oil Spills

India, as the 3rd largest importer of crude, receives most of its oil through ships. India is a major chemical importer of the country. Both oil and chemicals, if spilled, pose inherent risks to the maritime zones and connected coastlines, housing coastal communities, marine ecosystems, industries, and various installations along with the supporting tourism industries.

Preventive Measures

Preventive measures taken by the central coordinating agency, ship owners, oil handling facilities and other concerned stakeholders must be taken to prepare for combating any chemical marine spills. He stressed that as new vulnerabilities continue to emerge, the stakeholders must recognise the opportunities to enhance cooperation through stronger partnerships, effective coordination and imbibing best practices of developing technology.

He also stated the Indian Coast Guard is indigenously building two more state-of-the-art pollution response configured specialized vessels besides three existing ones to further bolster capacity.

National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP)

It gives the Indian Coast Guard the mandate to coordinate with state departments, ministries, port authorities and environmental agencies to assist in oil spill cleaning operations. It mandates that all major ports in India should have basic, minimum equipment, like inflatable booms and oil skimmers, to tackle oil spills. It highlights the responsibilities of individual ports and harbours.

Effect of Toxic Spills

Chemical Spills are attributed to two major causes: firstly, natural ones: tsunamis, cyclones, and thunderstorms and second, human causes such as war, attack, sabotage, and technical and human reasons.

The most affected organisms are those which float near the surface, like turtles, fishes, crabs, etc. Sea animals caught in an oil spill or being exposed to toxic petroleum products often result in lower reproductive rates, organ damage, and death. The effects remain for a long period of time.

Fishes often die due to the inability to swim or breathe. Many birds die due to drowning or inability to eat due to oil sticking to their body. Having direct exposure can have varying effects depending on the toxicity and chemicals involved in the spill.

Humans get exposed to toxicity through breathing gaseous oil compounds and/or oil compounds adsorbed on particulate matter (dispersed through the air). Exposure can also happen due to activities in the contaminated ground (e.g., soil) or through skin absorption when touching spilt material.