Mangalore: For the first time on the West Coast Karnataka, a team of newsmen were taken round ‘Coastal Guard(Samudra Prahari) Vessel to view a mock drill as an exercise to check the preparedness of various Oil Companies to control oil spills in sea.

The drill started with a surveillance boat on vigil, noticing an oil spill around 10 nautical miles from NM Port. The SP Vessel and 2 tugs of NMPT-‘Suvarna’ and ‘Subhadra’, moved to the location.

The exercise went on for 3 hours Commander Rajmani Sharma of the CG Vessel explained the exercise to newsmen.

The specialised pollution responsing vessel Samudra Prahari was sent to Mangalore from Mumbai Regional HQS.

Stake holders in the oil spill exercise were NMPT, MRPL, IOC, BPCL, MSEZ and state Pollution Control Board.

Sharma stated that hereafter no oil spill would reach the shore, and that the Coast Guard would coordinate its movements with all the 7 stakeholders, to quickly respond, to localise the oil spill in mid-sea.

Jagatbir Singh Virk, Commandant heads the Pollution Control Response Team for West Coast. He said the Coast Guard Vessel, 95 meters long, provided different modes of controlling the oil spill.