Not everyone is excited about the ship at Juhu beach

Residents living adjacent to the beach raise concerns that the Panama flagged tanker will spew oil the same way MV Wisdom did less than a month ago

Residents living adjacent to the beach raise concerns that the Panama flagged tanker will spew oil the same way MV Wisdom did less than a month ago

While Mumbaikars flocked to Juhu beach over the weekend to catch a glimpse of the Panama-flagged MT Pavit, an oil tanker, which ran aground around 11 am on Sunday, residents of Mora Village adjacent to Juhu beach are a jittery lot.

The reason for the residents' concern is the possibility of leakage of nearly 10 millitonnes of oil from the 77-metre ship.

Residents from areas close to Juhu beach said that they were also not happy with the ship becoming a touristu00a0attraction and that the thronging crowds only serve to disturb them

Residents are of the opinion that in a case similar to that of MV Wisdom that spewed oil into the Arabian Sea, the Pavit will spew oil into the water causing an ecological disaster.

Umesh Maher, a resident of the village, said, "We just hope this ship gets back on course soon so that it doesn't create the same mess that Wisdom did when it ran aground here."

Echoing the same distress, Vinod M, another resident said, "The ship has come closer to the shore than yesterday. If the ship moves any closer, our houses and lives will be in danger."

However, officials from the coast guard downplayed the alarms raised by residents and an official said, "I don't think people need to worry about a oil spill. In the case of the ship flooding, the problem was reported by the owners. As there is no one present on the ship, it does not pose a threat to anyone."

Meanwhile, Amrit Kaur, the ship that was to anchor the oil tanker is now at a distance of 4 km from Pavit. Helicopters have inspected the area and confirmed there is no one present on the ship.
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The salvage operation will be carried out by the owners, a Dubai based company and till now there are no authorities assigned for the same.

Lifeguards are present round-the-clock to protect prevent mishaps. The local police are also taking preventive measures to stop people from crowding at the beach.