Workers from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) have plugged a crude oil leak from a crack in an underwater pipeline that resulted in an oil spill a few kilometres off the Nagapattinam coast, India. The leak occurred in the 9 km-long pipeline used to carry crude from the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s Narimanam oil wells to the CPCL’s, now defunct, second refinery at Nagapattinam.
A statement from CPCL in Chennai said the leak in the pipeline was detected on Thursday, and plugged by Saturday. Oil dispersants had been deployed to clear the oil and a recovery system to clear the wider area. This activity will be continued till the area is clear of hydrocarbons. The pipeline will also be flushed to make it free of hydrocarbons.
The cause of the leak is being investigated.
Meanwhile, fishermen from Nagapattinam taluk villages, including Pattinamcherry, Samanathampettai, Nambiyar Nagar, Ariyanatutheru, Keechankuppam, Akkaraipettai, and Kallar, staged a demonstration demanding the permanent removal of the pipeline, reports The Hindu. They also threatened to go on an indefinite strike if their demand was not met.
