The oil spill near Chennai in Tamil Nadu has spawned a massive clean-up operation.
According to the Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services or INCOIS, around 15 to 20 tonnes of oil spilled into the sea when the ships collided near Chennai's Kamarajar Port on Saturday.

Much of the clean-up for the Chennai oil spill needs to be done manually with hands.
The ships, MT Maple and MT Dawn, were carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas and petroleum oil lubricant.
The slick has alarmingly now hit Marina Beach, nearly 30 km from the site of the collision, and is moving further ahead.
Environmentalists are worried because nearly half a dozen turtles have died in the polluted area.

Workers are collecting the slick from the Chennai oil spill into large vats.
Three much-hyped suction machines didn't work as they pumped out more water than sludge.
"We've tried all kinds of technology and found that manual clearing is the only possibility. We've brought in more people," said MA Bhaskarachar, the chairman of Kamarajar port.

Workers clean the Chennai oil spill with bare hands.
Environmentalists are worried about animals like turtles dying because of the oil spill. Four turtles were found dead.
"The spill will affect oxygen supply to aquatic species. More species will die. But we are not able to assess the loss as we don't have a base line," said Emily Titus, an environmentalist.

The Chennai oil spill clean-up is a massive operation with many workers.
Besides the coast guard, firemen, port officials, those from Highways and Chennai Metro Water are also helping in the clean-up.