Authorities inch closer to solving oil spill mystery

Samples from two suspect ships have been sent for testing

KARACHI: Authorities have expanded the scope of investigation into the oil spill that apparently originated in the deep sea and ended up at the coastal belt off Balochistan and Sindh.

The oil may have reportedly spilled from a ship arriving at Gadani's shipbreaking yard or a ferry boat meant to carry oil or cargo for the ship. After their inclusion in the suspect list, oil samples from both ships have been collected and sent for forensic analysis. If the results turn out to be positive, the mystery surrounding the origin of the oil spill may finally be solved.



The oil had initially appeared at the coastal belt extending from Cape Monze to Karachi, before spreading to other areas and polluting several beaches and picnic points such as the popular Mubarak Village and Charna Island, in its wake.

According to estimates, approximately eight tonnes of the oil mysteriously appeared off the coast around two weeks ago. Authorities suspect that the discharge originated from an oil tanker ship named Al Jawzaa, which had arrived at the Gadani shipbreaking yard from Dubai.

The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, port and shipping authorities, Balochistan Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute of Oceanography and other maritime agencies are involved in the investigations.

According to a source privy to the investigation, the Al Jawzaa ship, which had arrived from Dubai, was anchored near Charna Island between October 25 and 26, before being shifted to the shipbreaking yard on October 27.

For the past one year, authorities at Gadani have enforced a ban on parking of ships carrying oil. The ban was imposed after a terrible fire at the shipbreaking yard.

This was why oil from Al Jawzaa was cleared through the help of a small cargo ship, called a barrage. The latter has several tanks specifically designed to store oil. The volume of oil that was cleared from Al Jawzaa was around the same quantity as that seen in the sea.



According to the source, the barrage that was used to clear the oil from the gulf ship had then departed for the Kemari port. The oil was supposed to be shifted to Karachi, where it would be sold after heating and processing. There is a high probability that the mysterious oil seeped and leaked through an opening in the barrage, said the source.

The second area that the investigators are looking at is the Al Jawzaa ship itself, whose crew may have made a mistake while taking the ship to Gadani. The authorities have therefore taken samples of oil from Al Jawzaa and the barrage and sent them for forensic examination.

The results, which may take up to 10 days, may solve the mystery.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2018.