A 3,000-tonne Bangladeshi cargo vessel, MV Maa, drifted from its anchorage point and ran aground near Tenneti Park in Visakhapatnam, in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The empty ship which came to Visakhapatnam Port to load fly ash cargo had been waiting near the anchorage point since September 19 for the berthing itinerary.
As per the initial findings by the authorities of Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) , the ship had one functioning anchor, which was not informed to the port officials. Every ship is built with at least two anchors on each side of the bow. Due to the heavy swell owing to the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, the sea had been very rough for the last two days which made the ship lose its only anchor.
The wind speed also touched the 65 km per hour mark on Tuesday. As the wind was very strong, the 80-metre-long ship with about 15 crew members on board drifted towards the shore and ran aground near Tenneti Park on the northern edge of the port limits.
It is learnt that around 11.45 p.m., the master of the ship sought tug assistance from the VPT authorities as the vessel was drifting towards the shore. By by the time, the tug could reach the ship, it already ran aground.
Damage assessment
The VPT authorities said the Protection and Indemnity authorities had been informed and an initial damage assessment would be made. Based on the assessment, it will be decided whether or not the ship could be towed out.
A team from the Director General of Shipping will assess how the ship drifted.
Experts and former captains feel that the engine of the ship might have failed, as they say that the master of the ship would have manoeuvred the ship to safety, if the engine was alive.
The port authorities said all ships waiting in the anchorage were informed about the bad weather and advised either to sail out into the deep sea or come inside the port. But, the MV Maa vessel chose to stay put at the anchorage point.
The port authorities have informed the police, Coast Guard, shipping agents for the ship and other authorities concerned for necessary action.
No oil spill
Preliminary investigation suggest that no damage was done to the ballast tank of the vessel and it is still in stable position. But, it may take time to pull it out as the area is said to be dotted with huge rocks. It is learnt that the ship master is confident that the ship can be towed out by two or three tugs, if the tide is high.
After a coordinated rescue effort by the Coast Guard and the VPT, the officials confirmed that there was no oil spill and efforts were on to drain out 40 tonnes of diesel the ship is carrying.
“As of now, there is no danger of marine pollution. Once the oil is removed, efforts will be made to tow out the ship. We wanted to disembark the crew, but the ship master insisted that they would like to stay on board as the ship is in stable condition,” said Coast Guard DIG B. Ranjan.
A Chinese ship ran aground near the RK Beach in 2005. As the news spread, thousands of people rushed to the spot to see the ship and many were seen clicking pictures with cellphones and professional cameras.
