The Hindu Business Line : Tsunami paralyses port operations

Tugs pull the Canadian Express, one of the three ships that collided when they broke their moorings after tidal waves hit the Chennai Port on Sunday. — Bijoy Ghosh

Chennai/Mumbai , Dec. 26

THE Chennai Port has been affected the most by the tidal waves that lashed the East coast this morning, with some damage to port installations in Tuticorin and Port Blair also. Operations at the Chennai Port have been suspended for the next two days, as the port trust authorities are assessing the damage to installations.

The Surface Transport Ministry has set up a special cell to monitor the situation in the affected ports, according to Mr D. T. Joseph, Secretary, Surface Transport Ministry. The Director General of Shipping is also monitoring the movement of ships in the Bay of Bengal.

According to the Chennai Port Trust Chairman, Mr K. Suresh, three ships were involved in a collision, a quay crane was damaged and water inundated the wharf, the bay area, the quarters and a hospital. Some Hyundai cars meant for exports were damaged. The area has been heavily silted, he said.

The three ships involved in the collision were ABG Keshav, Canadian Express and the Gem of Tuticorin. Efforts were on to separate them, he said.

The ships broke their moorings after two tidal waves — one at 9.00 a.m. and another at 11.00 a.m. — hit the area. The ships collided and one of them also hit the West Quay berth at Ambedkar docks and damaged a quay crane, he said. While the damage is being assessed, initial estimates fix the losses at about Rs 10 crore, according to Mr Suresh.

The port operations have been suspended for about 40 hours, since some more ripples are expected. The authorities have also decided to let the ships move out to the open seas. According to them, five or six ships have moved out and 12 more are in the port and will leave as soon as possible.

According to a Hyundai official, the damage to the cars meant for exports was minimal. They had started the process of loading over 1,000 cars on to the ship when the port was hit by the tidal wave. The ship had to de-berth. Though 10-12 cars' fenders were damaged when they bumped against each other, the rest only got soaked. Company officials were double-checking them to make sure there was no damage, he said.

Capt N. M. Saggi, Nautical Adviser to the Government of India, is monitoring the situation across the country. The worst affected is Chennai Port, where a "minor" oil spill from a tanker has been reported. Five loaded containers on board a Shipping Corporation of India vessel were lost, while a dry bulk cargo carrier belonging to Great Eastern Shipping Company has also been damaged. MV Akbar, a passenger ship, was damaged at Port Blair, but there were no passengers on board.

According to Capt Saggi, some port installations at Tuticorin Port have been damaged, while a ship loaded with coal lost its moorings.

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