Naphtha loaded tanker runs aground 3 nautical miles off Goa

The 3,000 ton capacity chemical tanger ferrying naphtha which was drifting towards the shores of the state capital on Thursday, has now grounded itself three miles off Dona Paula, a city suburb, a government statement said on Friday. Government authorities have now expressed fear that leakage of naphtha could affect the state's beach tourism prospects.

Earlier on Friday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, after chairing a meeting of the state disaster management body, said that the Goa government has summoned the captain and owner of the tanker, which has drifted towards the shore due to strong winds and stormy weather.

"We have called the ship captain. He should not leave Goa. We have summoned the owner of the ship too for enquiries," Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters on Friday.

The unmanned tanker Nu Shi Nalini, carrying a cargo of nearly 3,000 tons of naphtha and anchored five nautical miles off Goa on the directions of the Mormugao Port Trust, on Thursday began to drift towards the shore of the state capital, due to strong winds and rough seas.

After initially drifting towards the Panaji coast, the tanker grounded off the Dona Paula bay near Panaji.

"The vessel drifted from its anchorage because of the cyclonic storm and is now grounded near Dona Paula," a government statement issued late on Friday said.

"Minister for Science and Technology and Waste Management Michael Lobo during the interaction with the authorities expressed the fear of leakage of naphtha leading to pollution of the beach which may affect tourists, the statement also said.

Sawant on Thursday had said, that multiple state and central agencies were trying to stabilise the tanker and one of the options being explored was to use helicopters to land two experts onboard the tanker in order to navigate it to safety.

The boarding operations, however, could not take place last night due to stormy seas, owing to the passage of cyclone Kyarr in the Arabian Sea.

Sawant also said that while all precautions were being taken, the state administration would file a complaint against the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) for acting in a negligent manner.

"We are filing a case against MPT too," Sawant said.

The state administration is already probing the role of the authorities of Goa's only major port, on whose instructions the vessel was parked five nautical miles off Goa's coast, with an impending cyclone.

( With inputs from IANS )