Ship with 60,000 t coal sinks off Mumbai coast

A Panama registered bulk carrier with 60,000 tonnes of coal on board sank 20-nautical miles off the Mumbai coast on Thursday afternoon.

All the 30 crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard.

The vessel was on its way from Indonesia to Dahej port in Gujarat. The cargo loaded at an Indonesian port belongs to the Gujarat-based Adani Enterprises, the largest importer of coal in the country. The coal was for third-party supply and was fully insured, a spokesperson for the Adani Group said.

The ship m.v. Rak Carrier, owned and managed by Delta Shipping Marine Services, Qatar, and classed with Lloyds Register of Shipping, contained 290 tonnes of fuel and 50 tonnes of diesel, a press release issued by the Directorate General of Shipping said.

As the ship started drifting following ingress of water, some of the crew jumped off the ship who, were rescued by the Coast Guard helicopters. It is not yet clear whether there is any threat of oil pollution following the incident.

Pollution threat?

The Coast Guard has already dispatched its oil pollution response vessel to the site. So far no oil pollution has been reported, the release said.

This is the third incident involving a merchant ship sinking or running aground near the Mumbai coast after the onset of the monsoon this year. These incidents have raised fear about the coastal security.

DG Shipping said it has ordered an enquiry into the incident, and also would request the flag state to investigate under the prevailing International law. The Mumbai Port and the National Hydrographic Officer, Dehrahun, have been advised to issue navigational warning so that the mariners are warned in advance of this danger.

M.T. Pavit

Meanwhile, the 1,000-tonne Panama-flagged merchant vessel, m.t. Pavit, that ran aground near Mumbai's Juhu Beach, has sent the Navy and Ministry of Defence into a tizzy. The incident, which occurred less than a month after m.v. Wisdom, another vessel was towed from there, raised fear about lack of co-ordination among security agencies.

The ship has been reportedly drifting since July 1. But, the Indian Navy, the Coast Guard and the state coastal police failed to detect the vessel. Naval Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma has sought a high-level enquiry and detailed report on m.v. Pavit that drifted into Indian waters on June 29. The unmanned, adrift vessel was found grounded near the shore of Mumbai's Juhu-Versova beach on June 31.

The Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS) sent a notice to the owners of Pavit following which they carried out a ground assessment and would submit a salvage plan.

Security lapses?

DGS officials also initiated an inquiry into the incident. However, speaking to Business Line , the Coast Guard officials denied that the incident exposed lapses in the coastal security and said it failed to detect the unmanned tanker as it was thought to be sunk.

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard is putting in place coastal radar stations on the coastline of the country and the trial is going on in Gujarat. These coastal radar stations can detect ships 24-30 nautical miles away.

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