Cargo containers that fell after ships collided fished out of sea near Indian port

Cargo containers fished out of sea near India port

MUMBAI, India — About 15 cargo containers were pulled from the sea Wednesday out of the nearly 300 tossed overboard when two ships collided near a major Mumbai port.

Jawahar Lal Nehru port, serving India’s financial hub, is closed indefinitely because the containers pose a navigational hazard. They fell off the MSC Chitra, which ran aground and has been listing heavily since the crash Saturday in the Arabian Sea.

Foreign experts hired to retrieve the containers recovered about 15 by Wednesday evening and identified three others that are sunk, according to the government of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital.

The government statement said the ship’s owner reported about 200 of the more than 500 containers on board were empty.

The damaged ship spilled nearly 500 tons of its fuel and lubricants before the leaks were plugged Monday. The second ship, the MV-Khalijia-II, suffered lesser damage but details were not available.

The cargo of both ships wasn’t clear, but the government statement said analysis of water samples so far showed no contamination from hazardous chemicals.

No attempts have been made to stabilize the MSC Chitra, which is resting on a rock in shallow water that is choppier than usual due to monsoon season.