Summary:
Large quantities of oil being washed ashore along Raigad and Ratnagiri coasts on Thursday have raised concern among environmentalists and fishermen. "During monsoons, the wind moves shorewards, washing ashore oils and tar balls," he said adding that oil or tar balls have not washed up along Mumbai's beaches so far. With churning of the sea during monsoons, oil floating on the surface of the sea can be thrust upon the coast," he said. Tar balls are lumps of solidified crude oil found in or on the sea that get washed up on the shore. In 2010, two merchant ships collided off the Mumbai coast again, spilling over 800 tonnes of oil and damaging mangroves along the coastline..