the goan I network
PANAJI
Already red-faced over acts of omission by its top maritime officers which led to the disastrous grounding of the naphtha-laden chemical tanker Nu-Shi Nalini in mid-October, the Mormugao Port Trust has now notified the e-auction and called for bids to dispose the approximately 2000 metric tonnes of “contaminated naphtha”.
The bidding, which will open on November 29 and end the same day, will be held in US dollars and all firms intending to participate in it have to deposit pre-bid Earnest Money Deposit (Rs 10 lakh for Indian Bidders and USD 14,500 for foreign bidders) the previous day on November 28.
The e-auction tendering process is being conducted by MSTC Ltd, according to tender documents available with The Goan.
Meanwhile, eyebrows have been raised over the MPT’s decision to dispose the ‘naphtha’ entrapped in the storage tanks of the grounded tanker as ‘contaminated’ on an “as is where is what is and no complaint basis”.
Multiple surveys done in the nearly four weeks that the vessel has been grounded off the Marivel beach near Raj Bhavan, Dona Paula, had revealed that a significant portion of the naphtha cargo was intact.
Meanwhile, Dutch salvage company Marine Masters which has been issued the work order by the MPT to salvage the ill-fated tanker and the naphtha cargo in its storage tanks is still shipping in the equipment needed for the operation.
As per the terms of the work order drawn up by Director General (Shipping) leaves both options open to the company: a) to refloat-tow it to
