Fuel leakage in Gulf of Kutch after pipeline rupture

AHMEDABAD: An incident of fuel spillage has occurred in the Gulf of Kutch region of Gujarat. The spillage of high speed diesel is believed to have happened within the port limits of Mundra port located in Kutch district, after a pipeline carrying the diesel to an HPCL tank farm in Mundra port ruptured, sources said.

Though the exact quantity of the spillage is not known, the officials of Mundra Port and Special Economic Zone (MPSEZ), which operates the Mundra port, described the leak as minor one that was contained. Gulf of Kutch is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat and houses a fragile marine eco-system including the country's only marine national park.

Non-governmental organisations operating in the region have claimed that the quantum of the spillage of high-speed
diesel could be as large as 10 lakh litres. Former finance minister and Lok Sabha member Sanat Mehta claimed that HPCL chartered ship from great eastern shipping leaked 10,00,000 litre High Speed Diesel (HSD) into sea pipeline rupture at Mundra Port. “We have drawn the attention of ministry of petroleum and natural gas and the officials have assured us to dispatch coast guard to supervise the affected area,” Mr Mehta told ET.

Officials of the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), the nodal agency that operates minor ports in the state, was not aware of the incident when contacted. The coast guard officials in Delhi and Gujarat were also not aware of the leakage.

Meanwhile, Adani Group spokesperson said, “On-ground pipeline carrying HSD of HPCL, which connects its tank farm in Mundra to the Mundra Port had developed a minor leak. The pipeline passes through trenches and the leaked diesel contained in the trench has already been cleared.” HPCL spokesperson stated that the company was in the process of ascertaining losses due to the leakage.