KOCHI: While the Coast Guard, Navy, and the shipping company are making efforts to salvage MSC Elsa 3 which has reported a listing of 26 to 28 degree off Kochi coast, containing the oil spill has become a bigger concern. The vessel was transporting very low-sulphur fuel oil and marine gas oil from Tuticorin to Kochi port. As a few containers have fallen into the sea, the disaster management authority has issued an alert on possible oil spill.
As the fallen containers may drift and reach the coastal areas of Kerala, an alert has been sounded and the residents of coastal areas have been cautioned against going near the containers.
According to chemical safety expert R Venugopal, who is a former joint chief controller of explosives of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the chances of oil spill from the fallen containers are high and the authorities should initiate steps to contain it. “They should seek the support of oil companies for containment measures. Floating barriers or oil booms should be deployed around the spill to contain and prevent oil from spreading further. Mechanical or absorbent skimmers should be used to remove oil from the water surface efficiently. Barriers should be installed to direct oil towards clean-up zones, preventing accumulation in sensitive areas. Specialised sorbent booms, pads, and granular absorbents designed for hydrocarbon recovery can help absorb the oil spreading on the sea surface,” he said.
What is VLSFO and MGO?
Very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO), represents a category of marine fuel designed to meet the International Maritime Organisation’s regulations that limit the sulfur content in ship fuel to 0.5% by weight. Unlike traditional heavy fuel oil (HFO), VLSFO is blended from various components, including lighter, more refined products and some heavy fuel elements, to strike a balance between sulfur content, energy content, and cost. The VLSFO is more environmentally friendly but expensive due to the refining and blending required to reduce sulfur levels.
Marine gas oil (MGO) is a marine fuel that consists solely of distillates, the components of crude oil that evaporate in fractional distillation and are then condensed from the gas phase into liquid fractions. It is similar to diesel but has a higher density, and unlike HFO, marine gas oil doesn’t require heating during storage.