Mumbai : Diving operation to identify and plug the oil leak from the sunk cargo vessel M V Rak are expected to begin today, the Directorate General of Shipping said, even as Coast Guard assured that the spill has decreased considerably.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has been directed to make available a specialised diving support vessel to undertake the preliminary assessment of the leak, the DGS said in a statement.

The local protection and indemnity (P&I) correspondent has also been instructed to engage an expert diving supervisor to guide the diving operations which are likely to commence in the early hours of Thursday, it added.

“The expert divers would identify the source of leak and, whether it is practicable and possible to plug the leak to check the outflow,” the DGS said, adding that sea and weather conditions will have to be favourable for diving operations.