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Vessels collide, cause oil spill off Mumbai Coast

By the CNN Wire Staff
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Two vessels collided Saturday morning off the Mumbai Coast
  • No one was injured and the crew was evacuated
  • Authorities are working to contain oil leaking from one of the damaged ships

(CNN) -- Two vessels collided Saturday morning off the Mumbai coast in western India, and the resulting damage caused one of the ships to leak oil, according to the Indian Coast Guard.

The Panamanian-flagged JNPT MSC Chitra vessel collided with a vessel from St. Kitts and Nevis. Thirty-three crew members were evacuated without incident or injuries, the coast guard said in a statement.

However, because the Panamanian vessel became grounded, the incident caused an oil spill. That vessel was also evacuated, the statement said.

There are more than 150 containers on the vessel and it was listing at more than 45 degrees, according to the statement. The coast guard said the vessel is carrying 2,662 tons of fuel, 283 tons of diesel fuel and 88,040 liters of lube oil.

Fuel was also leaking from the ship. The oil spill could be seen for miles, officials said.

The Indian Coast Guard was monitoring the spill in sensitive areas off the Mumbai coast, the statement said. Civil authorities were also on high alert to combat the oil spill and perform shoreline clean up.