The Puri district administration has initiated talks with the owner of Tug JIN HWA 32, a Malaysian cargo vessel that has run aground in the Chilika lake since August 9, regarding removal of the fuel from the ship.
State Commerce & Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera on Monday said the talks began two days ago.
Earlier, the Coast Guard had raised concern over possible spill of oil from the vessel, which contains 30,000 litres of diesel, 1000 litres of lube oil and 200 litres of hydraulic oil.
The Coast Guard had apprised the State Government about the threat to the eco-sensitive coastal zone off the Chilika lake and Odisha coast.
Notably, the cargo ship, which was heading towards Visakhapatnam, drifted towards the Odisha coast due to a storm in the Bay of Bengal. The ship has been anchored near the Rajhans island close to the Chilika lake in the Krushnaprasad area ofn Puri district since then.
