COAST GUARD TO ACQUIRE THREE POLLUTION
CONTROL VESSELS
The Coast Guard has
ordered three indigenously made special pollution control vessels,
which would be available in the next two to three years. The threat
of pollution on the seas is high as at any given time there are
200 ships of which about 40 per cent are oil tankers, moving in
the close vicinity of the country’s coastline. This was stated
by the Director General Coast Guard Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta
at the Sixth National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP)
review meeting held in the Capital today. Over 60 delegates from
government departments, major ports, oil industries, oil refineries,
Central and State Pollution Control Board and Shipping attended
the meeting.
Vice Admiral Mehta
further said that as part of the new measures being taken to deal
with the growing number of oil spill disasters, the Coast Guard
has sent a proposal to the Government to bring in a legislation
to set up a shipping inspection agency. The said agency will be
empowered to inspect the health of ships berthing at our country’s
major ports.. He said that Coast Guard also proposes to induct
in a phased manner a new range of maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
A global tender would be soon floated for these aircraft, Vice
Admiral Mehta added. He said a sum of about $50 million has been
earmarked for this. The Director General Coast Guard said that
national capabilities for disaster management are required to
be constantly reviewed and upgraded. Taking into account the worldwide
changes and emerging challenges.
NOSDCP is a comprehensive
document that delineates national preparedness and response system,
including the resources of both government and private agencies.
The Committee of Secretaries had approved the plan in 1993 and
since then it is periodically reviewed and updated with the participation
of all resource agencies.
The major oil spill
disaster off the Spainish coast last year and the recent oil spill
off the Karachi Port have highlighted the potential risk that
India face at all times from the possible impact of major oil
spill disaster. Today’s meeting is considered all the more important
for strengthening national preparedness since India is expected
to play a lead role in South Asia for oil spill disaster management.
The Indian Coast Guard has considerable experience in handling
major oil spills out at sea. Over last two decades, the Coast
Guard has acquired stockpile of oil spill response equipment and
expertise for dealing with any oil spill disaster situation.
