One lakh litres of diesel spills at Mundra port

"The incident took place when a diesel consignment of HPCL was being transferred from the ship to tanks. The valve of one of the tanks was tightened so much that due to the back pressure, the pipeline ruptured for 3-4 minutes, resulting in a leakage of about one lakh litres," Nanda said.

"The leakage has been contained. Since the major spill is on the land side and not in the sea directly, its not a major concern. But, we shall take stock of the situation through our agencies like Gujarat Maritime Board and Gujarat Pollution Control Board," he said.

According to HPCL spokesperson, a minor leakage has been reported from an oil jetty at Mundra port when a consignment of diesel was being off-loaded from a ship. The spill was negligible and it has been contained, but we are not sure of the quantity lost.

However, on being contacted, DGM Marine Operations Mundra Port Capt Nandi denied that any diesel spill at oil jetty of the port.

"A ship Ushma, which arrived from Singapore, is discharging gasoline on account of cargo of HPCL here. I can assure you that there hasn`t been any spill," Capt Nandi said.