The Hindu Business Line : NIOT seeks overseas help on Hooghly navigability scheme

THE Visakhapatnam-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) will take a few more months to firm up its views on the River Regulatory Scheme (RRS) designed to improve the navigability of the Hooghly near Haldia dock, as it has sought expert opinion from abroad. Denmark Hydraulic Institute (DHI) is currently studying the report prepared by NIOT.

DHI, according to Kolkata Port Trust sources, feels that the data provided by NIOT is "sketchy," hence more information on the subject will be needed.

It might be noted that the fate of RRS has been hanging in the balance for the past several years. The implementation of the scheme presupposes massive capital dredging as well as a river-training programme in the Hooghly to improve the navigability of the river. The tenders for the jobs were floated several times but not with much progress. However, the Haldia dock authorities are understood to have initiated some measures to train the river.

The cost of the original scheme prepared a few years ago was estimated at Rs 350 crore. Meanwhile, four of the total 12 crew rescued from Genius Star VI, the log carrier that sank in the Bay of Bengal in the early hours of Tuesday, arrived at Haldia on Wednesday by container ship Dalian. Eight others are likely to arrive on Thursday by another ship, Tong Hoy. About six crew, all Chinese, are reported missing. Genius Star VI belonged to Singapore-based Pescadores Marine Pvt Ltd.

Genius Star VI was carrying 4,190 cubic metres of logs from the Malaysian port of PG Manis for the Kolkata Dock System. When the vessel was about 60 nautical miles from the Sandheads in the high sea, the lashing snapped and the logs rolled down. Thereafter, It did not take long for the vessel to sink.

The distress signal was first picked up by the Coast Guard's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Chennai. Coast Guard sent two of its aircraft from Haldia and Paradip and two vessels on a rescue mission. Two of the cargo ships in the vicinity were also asked to look for survivors.

"Since the disaster took place outside the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Port Trust in the high sea, there was nothing much the port authorities could do in the matter," said a spokesman for the port.