Oil spill: Chitra captain gets bail; blames Khalija

The captain of the MSC Chitra, the ship carrying oil and pesticide that collided with what might be described as a tramp steamer close to the Mumbai harbour on Saturday, has been granted interim bail by a sessions court.

Captain Mandeleno Ranjit Martin said in his bail plea that the collision happened because of a navigational error caused by the failure of radio communication. He said there was no error on his part, and pointed out that he had been in the business for 18 years.

Martin also said in his bail application that there was no point of sending him to police custody as there was nothing to recover from him.

He added that the MV Khalijia, with which his ship had collided, was not fit to sail at sea, and that it was the captain of this ship who was responsible for the accident.

The Chitra had collided with the Khalijia on Saturday and tilted dangerously. A leak in the ship caused its cargo of oil to start pouring into the sea, causing a huge oil spill. To make matters worse, some containers detached from the ship and started floating.

The Chitra had 1,219 containers on board, of which 31 held hazardous chemicals and pesticides, according to Satish Agnihotri, India's director general for shipping.

There were fears that these contained hazardous material, but 31 containers were later found secure in the ship's hold. The containers are well-packed and aren't expected to cause environmental problems, Srivastava said. India's coast guard has stopped oil spilling from the listing ship, Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has parliament yesterday.