Inform it will take another 60 days or more to complete operation
the goan I network
VASCO
It may be recalled that the South Goa Collector had directed MPT to take charge
of the yard from July 26 to August 31 to carry out salvaging operations.
The officials of the grounded ship present at Western India Shipyard Limited repair jetty told The Goan that earlier they thought it would take them a month to seal the cracks and pump out water and oil. “It is not an easy task as we had thought. It will take us another 60 days or more to pump out water and oil from the grounded ship,” said
an official.
“We will have to write to the authority to grant us 60 days more to complete the operation. So far we have been able to weld the cracks,” said the official when asked how long it would take them to float the ship as the deadline of August 31 is nearing.
“Looks like the ship is afloat, but its hull has actually sunk another 5-10 inches inside the muck. Once oil and water is pumped out, we will have to float it. This is quite a difficult task,” added the official.
“Though the skimming of the leaked engine oil from the surface of the water is over, we have kept the boom as
a security measure,” said
the official.
He informed that they cannot give a specific timing of when the water and oil will be pumped as the expert team is yet to arrive. “Once the expert team arrives, it will first conduct inspection of the ship and accordingly decide how to go about,” said the official.
When asked whether there was any resistance from WISL workers, the official said
here was no interference of any kind.
