A cargo ship ran into a coral reef off the Kavaratti Island in Lakshadweep on Sunday night, damaging around 400 square metres of the reef. The latest environmental damage came eight days after two container vessels collided off Mumbai and caused an oil spill and serious damage to mangroves and marine life. Coast Guard officials said the 78-metre-long cargo vessel, Nand Aparajita, was still lying on the eastern side of the island near the solar plant. The coral reefs around Kavaratti Island are the second largest collection of reefs in Indian waters after those off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Marine scientists at Bombay Natural History Society who have been working in Lakshadweep for several years say an initial asssement shows the eastern side of the island, where the ship has grounded, is an “excellent coral reef-rich area”. There was no evident oil spill right away but the ship was “dangerously perched on the reef ”, a Coast Guard official said. “We cannot rule out an oil spill in the coming days. The vessel was hired by a transport operator to ferry cement. The rescue operation carried out by local police and the Coast Guard has been delayed because of bad weather, but all the crew members are safe,” he added. Even if there is no oil spill, the grounding itself will cause extensive damage to the reef, extending up to 400 square metres. It needs to be seen if salvage or towing operations further damage the reef,’’ a BNHS official said. BNHS assistant director Deepak Apte, who has researched coral reefs in Lakshadweep for eight years, said the disaster had occurred at the worst possible time as the reefs had been severely affected by the El Nino current this May, causing “bleaching” of over 80% of the reefs in Lakshadweep. “Bleaching is a phenomenon in which the reefs turn white. This reef is already under stress and the latest mishap will create more problems. The reefs off Lakshadweep are known to be among the best in the world.
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