Gujarat: Major collision between two merchant vessels in Gulf of Kutch, no casualties

A major collision occurred between two cargo ships, MVs Aviator and Atlantic Grace in Gujarat's Gulf of Kutch on Friday night causing a major oil slick in the Arabian sea. As informed by Gujarat's PRO Defence on Saturday, the collision between the two bulk cargo ships took place at late night off the coast of Gujarat. However, no casualties have been reported from it. 

Meanwhile, the situation is being monitored and Indian Coast guard ships are put on standby for the moment. Similarly, the pollution control vessel in the area has also been put on standby. 

While the crew onboard is safe, rescue work is underway at the ships. According to an official statement issued later, Indian Coast Guard ships and helicopters are also deployed for the area assessment which has reported no oil spill or marine pollution from both the merchant's vessels. 

Gulf of Kutch is one of the busiest waterways for Indian shipments

Notably, the Gulf of Kutch being one of the primary routes for all the oil trade shipments of India remains busy most of the time and has witnessed several oil spills in the past years. 

An inlet of the Arabian sea along the Western coast of India in Gujarat, the Gulf of Kutch is renowned for its daily tides with the highest potential of tidal energy generation. In 2012, the vessel traffic service was opened in the Gulf of Kutch which was a joint initiative of the Kandla Port Trust, the Gujarat Maritime Board, and the Director-General of Lighthouses and Lightships of India. 

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