The Indian Coast Guard on Wednesday issued a fresh warning regarding a new cyclone that is heading towards the Arabian Sea and which could make things worse for MV Nu-Shi Nalini, an Indian-registered abandoned vessel since 2018, carrying flammable liquid.
"While Cyclonic Storm Kyarr moves away from the Indian coasts and continues to weaken, another well-marked low-pressure area has developed over Comorin and the adjoining Indian Ocean area," it said.
The new cyclone lays centred 200 km south-east of Minicoy in Lakshadweep Islands in India and is expected to move north-west across the Lakshadweep Islands during the next 24 hours and then emerge into the east-central Arabian Sea.
The Coast Guard has also issued alerts to India's coastal states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, including Union Territories of Lakshadweep in addition to the fisheries authorities.
A top government official told Indian media agency IANS: "If the content spills, it would be detrimental to the aquatic and marine life as well the entire coastal zone for miles."
Raising the utmost concern, the official added: "The vessel is laden with naphtha, which is highly volatile, carcinogenic and toxic with a low boiling point."
The vessel has already been damaged by cyclonic storm Kyarr, he said.
This may make things worse for the abandoned vessel laden with the toxic chemical.