Mangalore: Fear of Oil Spill into Sea Dismissed – ‘Asian Forest’ Owner Informed to Salvage Vessel
Pics by Dayananda Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RS/CN)
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Mangalore, Jul 19: The Chinese ship, M V Asian Forest that sunk seven nautical miles off Mangalore coast on Saturday July 18 around 11.45 am sparking fear of an oil spill. The ship was carrying 360 tonnes (3,66,000 litres) of oil. However, captain of the ship, Yang Seng Yang has informed that he has tightly secured the oil tank before he came to the shore.
Karnataka commandant of the coast guard, Padam Shankar Jha has asked people to rule out any fear of oil spill and also added that so far there has been no oil spill into the sea. All the precautions will be taken to check oil spill, he said.
He said that there was an arrangement done to summon technicians from Mumbai following which they were informed to come to Mangalore. Moreover, it was also decided to summon technicians from Singapore and a tug from Goa. The responsibility had been given to two shipping companies in this regard, Jha added. However, by the time they were summoned the ship sunk washing away any hope of its salvage.
Jha further informed that contact has been established with representatives of P&G Marine Company, Busan in South Korea, the vessel’s owner, agents Gold Alpha Charley Shipping and ABCO Trading Company, Kottara Chowki in the city. The company has been asked to make necessary arrangements for salvage operations and to remove the oil and wreckage, he added.
The Chinese cargo vessel approximately costing Rs 250 crore and constructed in the year 2003 is the fourth such ship to have sunk off Mangalore coast surrounding New Mangalore Port in the recent past. The Chinese ship too has become the victim of a bad weather similar to the incident in June 23, 2007 when DenDen vessel from African country Eritrea had sunk off coast near Tannirbavi. In all 21 members out of 24-member crew were rescued and the rest died.
The other ship that sank off coast in the recent past was Ocean Pacific. The vessel DenDen and another vessel that had earlier sank at the same spot as DenDen has not been salvaged as yet.
However, a Chinese vessel Chang Leman which was carrying iron ore was rescued in a timely operation by technicians from Singapore on September 6, 2007 after it tilted in mid sea off Mangalore coast.
Mangalore: Asian Forest Sinks Off City Coast
Mangalore, Jul 18: The Chinese ship, M V Asian Forest, which had been evacuated after it began tilting at sea, has sunk, said coast guard officials on Saturday July 18.
They said that the vessel had sunk at noon. The coast guard team had gone in search of the Chinese cargo ship, on the ‘Kasturba’.
After searching the sea for several hours, they came to the conclusion that it had indeed sunk. District commandant of the coast guard, Padam Shankar Jha, informed media persons that the coastguard team has surrounded the area where the ship is believed to have gone down.
The New Mangalore Port and the local administration will be on the watch for pollution which may result on oil leakage from the ship.
Sources in New Mangalore Port said that a salvage team along with the owners of the team had already left China for Mangalore.