These days, if somebody visits the coast of Mumbai, he would witness a golden polished layer on the surface of the water, which is caused due to oil leakage from a submerged MV Rak Carrier that has sunk three days ago with 60,054 tons of coal on board, 290 tons of fuel oil and 50 tons of diesel oil.

The oil is leaking at a speed of 1.5 to 2 tons per hour, and has spread to about seven nautical miles [eight miles] around the vessel. According to the Coast Guards, the spill was noticed around 3.30 pm on Saturday, by their dedicated pollution control vessel Samudra Prahari.

In technical terms, oil spill severity is classified in three ways, first, it is known as tier1, if the oil is less than 700 tons; tier 2, if it is between 700 and 2,000 tons, and tier 3; if it’s more than that, it comes under tier one, which is not harmful, according to Coast Guards.

Though Coast Guards ships have been deployed to clean up the eight mile-long slick, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) would assess the water sample to check if the water is safe for fishing and other coastal activities.

The threat of the coal cargo travelling from Indonesia to the western Indian state of Gujarat, would be more on Mumbaikars, than on fishing community, but it could be a cause of concern, if oil reaches the mangroves, where fish breeding takes place.