the goan I network
PANAJI
Eight days have elapsed since the naphta loaded chemical tanker MT Nu Shi Nalini, which was unmanned and dubiously anchored off the Mormugao port came adrift and got grounded on sand and rock a few hundred meters off the coast near Cabo Raj Bhavan.
Yet, other than Thursday’s fiasco where pumps and machinery attempted to be loaded on the ship’s deck by a naval helicopter fell into the sea, there has been no news whatsoever on the State’s purported attempt to salvage the situation and avert a disaster other than claims.
Worse, the officialdom has gone completely incognito over the last two-three days after issuing elaborate statements on the first four days since the tanker got grounded.
On the first three-four days the State administration issued elaborate statements making tall claims about the steps being taken in the salvage effort and stating that the pumping and transferring of the dangerous cargo will begin “from tomorrow”.
For the next three days however, there has been not a word from anyone in the State administration.
The pedestrian response of the State administration, MPT authorities and officials of the Director General of Shipping besides others who were summoned has raised the question whether Nu Shi Nalini will also head the way ‘River Princess’ did which took over a decade to be cleared from the spot where it had got grounded near the Sinqueirm beach in the monsoon of the year 2000.
Experts from the maritime industry who did not want to be identified, meanwhile, have raised questions over the stark unprofessional response of the State to the impending maritime disaster.
“Why have no heads rolled yet in the MPT for this disaster?,” asked a senior marine engineer with nearly three decades of sailing international waters under his belt. He also questioned the wisdom of the port authorities to allow a chemical tanker part loaded with dangerous cargo without any power/generator onboard and unmanned to drop anchor in its jurisdiction. He said, international maritime practices prohibit it.
Efforts to elicit responses from the top brass at the MPT proved futile. Calls and email queries made to the chairman and other senior technical officials of the port elicited no responses.
Also, there was absolute silence from the State administration. An official appointment was sought by this reporter on Thursday morning with Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, who had chaired a meeting at the MPT of all the authorities involved in the grounded tanker’s salvage effort. The request made in writing to Rai’s office did not evoke any response until Saturday night.
The only message that came from official quarters late on
Saturday was that North Goa Collector R Menaka would be meeting Marivel villagers and other residents on Sunday at 10 am in connection with the grounded naphtha tanker.
Menaka’s decision interestingly came on a day when reports emerged that dead fish was seen floating in the waters along the Marivel beach.
Meanwhile, negligence on the part of officials at MPT to allow the tanker to anchor without insisting on safe manning on board with a small deck generator so the second anchor could be dropped and possibly prevent its grounding also came in for harsh criticism from another maritime professional.
“All knew that this storm was approaching more than 48 hours in advance and that the vessel was unmanned and anchored. Why was a tug not imposed to hold her and prevent this disaster,” he asked.
Meanwhile, Captain Venzy Viegas has raised serious questions over the competency of those involved in the purported operation to discharge the dangerous cargo from the ship.
Pointing out that naphtha is highly inflammable and the mistake of not taking prescribed safety precautions could blow the vessel up, Captain Viegas said only reputed professional firms should be engaged to handle the job.
Captain Viegas, who is a qualified skipper and has vast international experience said: “If the government is serious about removing the grounded vessel which is carrying dangerous cargo, then organisations like Bureau Veritas or ABS which have gained trust of the world must be engaged for the task.”
