Chennai: It is 11 days since two cargo ships collided at the Kamarajar Port here leading to the massive oil spill in the Bay, but it is going to take another six days for the complete removal of the sludge, according to port officials.

Addressing press persons, State Minister for Fisheries, D Jayakumar, said, “As on date, 160 tonnes of sludge has been removed.” New equipment will be brought for the purpose as super suckers fail to function since the density and specific gravity of oil has grown thick, he said.

Conservancy workers and fishermen, fighting for their livelihood, outnumber volunteers in the effort. Environmentalist Rama Narayanan says, “I was there at Ernavoor yesterday. The cleaners have been working overtime to remove the oil sludge from the shore. The conservancy workers and fishermen outnumber the volunteers in the clean-up process.”

“As the sludge is hard to remove, it can be done only manually. It must be said that the cleaners are putting in maximum efforts in removing the oil blobs as quickly as possible. They were collecting the sludge in buckets to clear the water. They line up along the shore and pass the buckets. The cleaning work can take around a week’s time as far as I can see,” he adds.

Manikandan, a fisherman from Ennore, says, “Our skin itches. It is hard to clean the thick oil sludge from the shore. But, removing the oil along the shore at the earliest is essential as it has already caused huge damage to marine life and fishermen’s lives.”

The oil spill poses a serious threat to the marine environment. Over 40 turtles have washed ashore since the spill, reports say. “The turtles were dying even before the spill occurred. And then the spillage intensified the risk for marine life. So, we are unsure if the turtles died before they encountered the oil spill. The cause can be known only if necropsy is done,” says Akila, who is part of a turtle conservation network.

A fisherman says, “We are yet to recover from the devastating effects of Cyclone Vardah. Now, the oil spill is making life worse.”

“Initially, there were super sucker pumps which were used for removing the oil. The pumps collected around 9,000 litres of oil and they were unable to function after a point as the sludge got thicker. We have been working hard to remove the oil spill across the shores as soon as possible. We cannot afford to delay the clean-up operation any more,” says Sivakumar, a volunteer from Ennore.

Shravan of the Chennai Students Sea Turtle Conservation Network says Ennore is the worst affected part of the Bay. Areas like Marina and Thiruvanmiyur show only traces of spillage. So, Ennore needs more attention, he explains.

Two cargo ships, MT BW Maple, carrying LPG, and MT Dawn Kanchipuram, carrying petroleum oil lubricant, collided near the Kamarajar Port here, which resulted in the spillage of oil into the sea.