PSUs, pvt companies join hands to fight oil spills

State-run oil companies BPCL, HPCL, IOC and ONGC and a few private firms including Aegis Logistics, Tata Power Company and Chemical Terminal Trombay will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) for setting up a Tier I Oil Spill Response Centre.

The project will be completed within 10-12 months from the date of signing of the MoU with tendering activities by the MbPT. According to a MbPT document, the procured oil spill response centre (OSRC) facilities would be kept in a dedicated refurbished tug -VST Arul offered by the MbPT for spillage of crude or petroleum products of up to 700 mt at one spot as per the latest norm of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan. MbPT will carry out recovery operations under the guidance of the Coast Guard. The cost is estimated at Rs 11.26 crore.

According to sources, “Oil companies have agreed to finance the OSR facilities and give the overall responsibility to MbPT for maintenance and combating oil spills. Two committees will be formed for the management of the OSR facilities. One low- level committee comprising two officers from BPCL and two from MbPT to make recommendations for acceptance and award of contract and the high-level committee would consist of one official from BPCL and two from MbPT to accept tenders. The high-level committee would also be responsible for the implementation and management of the MoU.

As per the original proposal conceived a decade ago, the oil spill management programme was to be taken by at three tiers. At Tier I, OSRCs were to be set up by individual oil companies at port locations to take care of an estimated spillage of up to 100 tonne. The Tier II OSRCs were to be set up on an industry basis to take care of an estimated spillage of up to 1,000 tonne. Two such centres were to be set up at Kakinada and Haldia. At Tier III, three OSRCs were to be set up at Nhava, Chennai and Vadinar to take care of an estimated spillage of up to 2,500 tonne. A similar MoU is already in place and operational at the Chennai Port Trust.