The entry of the ship was opposed by environmental group Greenpeace which said the oil tanker should not be allowed to dock because it had not been cleaned of toxic substances and posed a danger to the environment.

Gujarat port authorities had said they had found no toxic substances aboard the ship and the environmentalists were unnecessarily raising alarm.

On Tuesday, India's ministry of environment and forests stepped in and ordered the port authorities to not allow the ship Hesperus into Indian waters until further orders.

It said the order was issued because the Norwegian government had not informed them about the ship's arrival.

Greenpeace had said that breaking the ship up before cleaning it completely of toxic chemicals could endanger the lives of Alang port workers.

TERRA.WIRE