A suspected petrol leak from a pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) located at Paradip Port in Paradip town of Jagatsinghpur district triggered concern on Friday among authorities and workers in the restricted port area.

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According to local sources, the fuel leakage occurred from an underground pipeline that was being used to transfer petroleum products from a ship to the terminal facility.

Sources said a hole was detected in the pipeline connecting the vessel and the terminal, leading to the leakage. The incident reportedly took place within the high-security restricted area of Paradip Port, prompting immediate emergency response measures from technical and fire safety teams.

Following the incident, IOCL’s technical team, the CISF fire wing, and Paradip Port officials rushed to the spot and initiated repair operations on a war footing to prevent any major mishap.

Officials were seen monitoring the area closely due to the highly inflammable nature of petrol and the potential risk of fire or explosion.

Preliminary information suggests that petroleum was being transferred through the underground pipeline when the leakage was noticed. However, it is still not clear how the pipeline developed the hole or whether technical failure, corrosion, or any external factor caused the damage.

Despite reports emerging from the port area, IOCL marketing division GM Shishir Tiwari denied the occurrence of any such petrol leakage incident. No official reaction could be obtained from the pipeline division CGM R.K Sahoo, as calls to him went unanswered.

The absence of a clear official statement has further intensified speculation surrounding the incident. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether any environmental damage or operational disruption occurred due to the suspected leak.

Paradip Port is considered one of the major petroleum handling hubs in eastern India, and any incident involving fuel transfer infrastructure is treated with high priority because of safety and environmental concerns.

Security personnel and emergency response teams continue to remain deployed at the site as repair work progresses.