Mangalore, November 4: In the wake of beaching oil tanker MT Prathibha Cauvery in Chennai, the National Shipping Board has decided to recommend to the union government to station one more emergency towing vessel for the east coast.
Addressing a media conference in the city on Saturday Captain M.M. Saggi, Nautical Adviser to the Government of India, Additional Director-General Shipping (Technical), and Chief Examiner of Masters and Mates, said that the absence of an emergency towing vessel resulted in the casualty on the Chennai coast earlier this week.
"The stationing of one more vessel along the east coast will help mitigate such circumstances," he said.
He said SCI Ratna, an emergency vessel, will reach Chennai on November 7 or 8 from Mumbai to tow away MT Prathiba Cauvery.
The board at its 120th meeting here on Saturday was fully apprised of the fall-out of the beaching incident of Prathibha Cauvery.
Salvage company has boarded the stricken vessel and efforts are on to refloat it, Mr Saggi said, adding SCI Ratna will join the operations if Prathibha Cauvery has not been refloated by then.
"The salvage company has pointed out that the vessel, which got beached after it lost anchor and drifted ashore, can be refloated," he said. The vessel with 37-crew on board was at Chennai anchorage waiting for dry dock after discharging last cargo on October 29.
The board had spoken to the chief of the Naval Staff on rescuing the sailors. The Coast Guard despite being in readiness could not launch rescue operations due to adverse weather conditions, he said. Chennai port vessels too could not venture out in such condition, he said, adding that shallow nature of the beach prevented larger vessels for coming to her rescue. The vessel sat on ground and listed to 14 degrees at which point the sailors panicked.
Fearing that the vessel would capsize, Captain Carl Fernandes decided to evacuate the crew and first batch of 22 sailors were put on life boat. Observing that the life boat could not make it ashore in choppy seas, he said it was unfortunate that six of them drowned. Bodies of five sailors reported missing have been recovered and one who made it ashore alive, died on the way to hospital. Rest of the crew has been accounted for, he said.
The principal office, mercantile maritime department, Chennai has been directed to hold an inquiry into the incident and submit a report, Gautam Chatterjee, director-general of shipping, said.
The master of the vessel did make repeated requests for help, but the Coast Guard, Indian Navy and other authorities concerned were helpless due to weather, he said. The presence of an emergency towing vessel could have mitigated such a tragedy, he added.
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