The Hindu Business Line : Tsunami: Chennai Port escapes major damage

Three ships were damaged in a collision at the Chennai Port on the day of the tsunami but a major disaster was averted as they avoided hitting a tanker unloading crude. — Bijoy Ghosh

"THANK God, the Chennai port was saved from a major catastrophe," was the reaction of Mr K. Suresh, Chairman, Chennai Port Trust, when assessing the impact of last Sunday's tsunami that hit the country's coastline. Beyond a collision involving three ships, the port suffered no major damage. "It took us time to recover from the initial shock," said Mr Suresh. When the first wave hit port, 18 ships were inside the harbour. Three ships broke their mooring ropes and were floating free in the basin. The heavy currents pushed these ships together and they collided with one another.

According to an eyewitness, it all happened in less than an hour. A small ship swirled several times, before hitting a large ship and was dragged out of the harbour. Of the three ships involved in the collision, Gem of Tuticorin, loading sugar, sustained heavy damage; it is estimated that about 1,500 tonnes of raw sugar was in the hatch. The other vessels were ABG Kesava and Canadian Express. ABG-Kesava hit two hoppers on the wharf and damaged them. It also hit the wharf cranes and damaged the equipment. Gem of Tuticorin was damaged by the impact of ABG-Kesava.

A large car-carrier, Golden Ray II, which was loading, was vigorously tossed about inside the harbour basin. At one point, when two ships were swirling around, as if chasing each other, a third vessel was pushed towards them, hit one, damaging the vessel. "It was a dreadful sight," the eyewitness said. One of the ships then seemed headed to a tanker unloading crude.

"We were fortunate that a collision did not occur. Otherwise, it would have been a major disaster not only for the Chennai port, but also for the entire seashore in North Chennai," said Mr Suresh.

It was a major task for the ChPT administration to handle the post-tsunami situation. According to Mr Suresh, immediately after the first wave struck the port, all senior officials gathered at the signal station to assess the situation.

The Christmas holiday for pilots and captains was cancelled, and five tugs were put into operation (two were working) in 20 minutes. Of the 18 vessels working inside the port, 13 vessels were sent out to the anchorage point. One ship tried to get out of the harbour on its own, without a tug, and damaged some of the port's infrastructure, including dolphin mooring. Fortunately, it did not block the ship entry channel, he said. It was a terrible sight to see ships hitting the wharf, and some even climbing on top of the structure, he said.

The loss for the port due to the tsunami could be around Rs 10 crore on damage to infrastructure, including wharf, equipment and cranes. Another Rs 10 crore would need to be spent on dredging to remove the silt formation, according to Mr Suresh.

Mr Ennarasu Karunesan, Terminal Manager, Chennai Container Terminal (CCT), the private container terminal operator at the Chennai port, said the first reaction after the first wave hit the port was to evacuate the employees immediately. Vessels were secure and also equipment. Further, the equipment was "storm tie down" — the equipment is hooked and cannot move, and can withstand any natural disaster.

The ChPT plans to commission a study on what it needs to do to prepare itself to withstand nature's fury. The Chennai Port suspended operations for two days and resumed full operations only to find a road used by container trailers blocked by homeless fishermen who had put up temporary structures.

The tsunami not only created havoc inside the Chennai Port, but also affected the Tuticorin port to some extent. According to media reports, Sri Lanka took the major brunt of the tsunami and that perhaps saved Tuticorin from major damage. The minor port of Cuddalore, located some 150 km from Chennai and used mainly for fishing, a concrete wall was damaged.

At the Nagapattinam minor port, some of the old structures, including the office of the junior engineer, were damaged. But oil storage tanks and godowns escaped, say media reports. The Ennore port did not suffer major damage, said sources.

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