THE GOAN NETWORK
VASCO
DIG Coast Guard Manoj V Baadkar stated that the Coast Guard pollution control vessel 'ICGS Samudra Prahari' would reach the port late Thursday evening to monitor any possibility of oil spillage from the tilted vessel at the Western India Shipyard Limited.
“As soon as the ship listed towards the starboard at Western India Shipyard Ltd on Wednesday, we informed the MPT chairman and also visited the yard to take stock of the situation,” said Baadkar, while speaking to The Goan.
Asked to estimate the amount of fuel in the listed ship, Baadkar said: “According to ship officials, there is about 350 tonnes of oil used to run the engine.”
“The ship is safe, as it has a double bottom hull and has stabilized its position,” he said.
“But one never knows when something can happen and in the Coast Guard, we believe that even a drop of oil is bad for the sea and the Coast Guard is always prepared,” he cautioned.
Asked the nature of disaster if there is a leakage, Baadkar said: “If at all there is a big leakage, there could be a major disaster. But it all depends on what type of oil and how many tanks are there in the ship.”
“If there are four-five tanks and if any one is leaking, then it can be controlled from becoming a major disaster, but if all tanks leak at the same time, then it could lead to a major disaster,” said Baadkar.
Baadkar added that they could not get in touch with the ship owner and since it is inside the port premises and under National Oil Disaster Contingency Plan, it is the port which has to coordinate to tackle the situation.
“We are keeping a close watch and gearing up to tackle any eventuality. As far as 'ICGS Samudra Prahari', it is a standard operating procedure that during any such eventuality, the ship is moved to the place and is moved out as and when needed,” said Baadkar.
As far as joint inspection by MPT and Coast Guard is concerned, he said they did not have a joint inspection. “However, the Coast Guard informed MPT Chairman I Jayakumar and the moment we came to know about it, we independently inspected the ship to see if any human life was on board.”
When asked about the reaction of port officials, Baadkar said they responded quickly and everyone was at the site. The ship has now settled from its dangerous tilting to even keel and has finally settled firmly on the ground.”
“The port has to coordinate with the other stakeholders, owners and insurers to appoint the salvage people to siphon out the oil,” Baadkar added.
