The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has sounded an alert for ships approaching Gulf of Kutch, after seventeen containers onboard MV Rajeev Gandhi vessel off Okha West and started floating in the sea.

Gulf of Kutch is one of India's biggest corridors for crude oil imports, and the floating containers are posing a major threat to the approaching ships as they may lead to accidents.

S C Mathur, chief nautical officer at the Gujarat Maritime Board, said the containers had slipped onboard MV Rajeev Gandhi vessel on June 27 when it was on its way to Mundra port.

Speaking on the topic, Mr. Mathur said, "About 17 containers slipped from M V Rajeev Gandhi. on June 27 when it was on way to Mundra port. The containers are floating in the sea posing danger to vessel traffic."

Mr. Mathur also said that all the concerned authorities, including the Director-General of Shipping and the Indian Coast Guard, had been clued-up about the incident.

The Indian Coast Guard has been keeping constant vigil on the movement of the containers in the sea.

One of the seventeen containers that slipped onboard M V Rajeev Gandhi vessel had contained high-density polyethylene, while the remaining sixteen were empty.