Two cargo ships on Saturday morning collided outside Tamil Nadu's Kamarajar Port, authorities said.

In a statement, the Kamarajar Port authorities said the collision took place at around 4 am between M.T. BW Maple carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and M.T. Dawn Kanchipuram, which had petroleum oil lubricants (POL).

The LPG carrier was outbound and the other one was in-bound.

"There is no damage to the environment like oil pollution and no casualty or injury to persons. Both vessels are safely afloat and anchored. Extents of damage to the vessels are under assessment," the statement added.

"All top officials of port closely monitoring and the situation is under control. An enquiry has been ordered to find the cause of accident. All other ship movements are normal."

M.A. Bhaskarachar, chairman and managing director of the port told IANS that he has no additional information regarding the incident.

A port official said the cargo from M.T.Dawn Kanchipuram will be unloaded.

An Indian Coast Guard official told IANS that as per an aerial survey done by the security agency's helicopter, a very thin sheen of oil was seen which would dissolve in the seawater.

The Coast Guard has also sent one of its ships to the spot in case of any need, he added.

"Piloting a ship in and out of harbour is a tricky operation. Further a ship has a lot of inertia and hence it is difficult to stop it," a marine engineer told IANS.

"We always rag a beginner by asking him to check the ship's brake. A ship does not have a brake. Simply put, a ship is slowed down by reversing the propeller rotation," he added.