Panaji, Oct 24 (IANS): An unmanned tanker believed to be carrying a cargo of naphtha, anchored at the Mormugao Port Trust in South Goa, has begun to drift towards the shores of the state capital, after strong winds and a rough current caused its anchor line to break on Thursday.
Naphtha is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture.
According to the Indian Coast Guard, the Port Trust authorities are in the process of stopping the 3000 ton capacity tanker, before it drifts further towards Panaji, and tow it back to its berth at the major port.
"Mormugao Port is handling the incident. We are closely monitoring the situation," Indian Coast Guard spokesperson Akshay Jain told reporters.
A red alert has been issued in Goa in view of heavy rains and rough winds over the last 48 hours.