Order to salvage stricken naphtha tanker on Tuesday: Goa CM

The Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) will on Tuesday issue a formal order authorising a Dutch-based marine engineering firm, to finally salvage the naphtha-laden tanker Nu Shi Nalini, which ran aground off Panaji last month, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said here on Monday.

"The order will be issued by the MPT on Tuesday. Director General (Shipping) officials have already informed me about this," Sawant said.

Sawant also said, that the salvor would be directed to both, unload the naphtha from the striken tanker and also salvage the tanker, which ran aground on a rocky shelf last month. He said, that once the ship was salvaged and the danger posed by it to the state's coastline was dealt with, action would be taken against those who were responsible for allowing the unmanned tanker to run aground and pose a threat to the ecology of Goa's coastline.

The unmanned tanker Nu Shi Nalini ran aground on October 26 on the rocky shelf off Panaji near Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor, after it was caught in a storm off the state, and has not moved position since.

A multi-agency operation, involving the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, DG (Shipping), the Mormugao Port Trust and other state agencies, was subsequently launched to transfer the naphtha and nearly 50 tonnes of oil and 19 tonnes of diesel to other vessels.

The joint operation, however, failed on account of stormy weather and a minor accident resulted in the vessel continuing to pose a threat to the coastal area on account of its hazardous cargo.

( With inputs from IANS )