JOIN USNo oil spill from sunk vessel
Coast Guard Karnataka Commandant Padam Shekhar Jha told Deccan Herald that there were no signs of oil spill from the vessel, which sunk about six nautical miles away from New Mangalore Port on Saturday.
The aircraft as well as Coast Guard ships were conducting surveillance to prevent oil spill and pollution, he said adding that the situation is completely under control.
Salvage operations
A meeting of Coast Guard officials and the representatives of ship company P&G Marine Company Limited of South Korea was organised. Issues related to salvage operations to remove 366 metric tonnes of fuel oil and 45 tonnes of diesel from the vessel were discussed during the meeting.
Another joint meeting will be conducted with the representatives of Singapore-based salvage company Smith and Company on Monday, Padam Shekhar Jha said.
Meanwhile, all 18 crew members including captain Yin Shang Yan, who were rescued by the Indian Coast Guards, are staying in a hotel in the city.
The ship which sailed out from New Mangalore Port carrying 13,600 metric tonne of iron ore fines to Zhavgjiagang in China had encountered listing on Friday and later sunk on Saturday.
History repeats
It may be recalled that ‘Cheng Le Men,’ the cargo ship from St Vincent Islands, carrying about 16,100 metric tonne of iron ore had listed about one nautical mile away from New Mangalore Port after it left for China on September 3, 2007.
Incidentally, Cheng Le Men too was carrying iron ore to China and the listing was due to faulty loading.
However, all 28 members of the crew on board safely sailed after a day.
Prior to it, Eritrian ship Den Den sank off the coast of Thannirbavi and 21 sailors were rescued while three sailors lost their lives in the rescue operation.