KOCHI: A time bomb that has been ticking for almost six months off the Kochi coast now faces the threat of a short trigger in the shape of cyclone Gaja. About 3,000 tonnes of naphtha that is highly combustible has been floating only 12.2 nautical miles from the Kochi coast aboard Nu Shi Nalini, a vessel that has been abandoned by its crew in the high seas, tapered by a rotting anchor that may well be rusting away. If Gaja were to wreak havoc, then it would decimate parts of Thoppumpady, Vallarpadam and Vypeen Islands.
The Union Shipping Ministry has been trying helplessly to rope in an international salvage crew even as the people in the know, including the Coast Guard and Kerala Government, are at the wits end on how to handle such a potentially explosive situation. The alarm bells are ringing again following the Gaja scare so much so that Kerala Additional Chief Secretary P H Kurien (who is also heading the State Disaster Management Authority) has convened an urgent meeting of all stakeholders in Kochi on Friday noon to discuss the action plan.
The reason: Naphtha is a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture, and any spill or damage to the vessel or even sabotage by pirates can cause damage to near coast Kochi.
“Already the vessel and anchor are weak following the Southwest monsoon. If cyclone Gaja crosses its path, we’ve a big problem on hand. A small spark can create an explosion that’ll bring lasting damage and huge casualty at Thoppumpady, Vallarpadam and Vypeen Islands,” warned Coast Guard district operational officer Commandant K L Arun.
He said the state government is helpless in the matter as the vessel is anchored in the international waters; only distance up to 12 nautical miles comes within the state its territory.
Coast Guard and the state disaster management officers have been writing to the Union Ministry of Shipping and have also met Director General of Shipping (DGS) Malini V Shankar for bringing the gravity of the situation to their attention.
When contacted, Capt K P Jayakumar, an officer (nautical wing) of DG Shipping, Mumbai, said the department has informed the ship’s owner and salvage agency Lloyds Shipping to take necessary steps in the wake of cyclone Gaja.
“The delay (in toeing the ship to a safe location) is because the ship owner is in a financial crisis and the insurance company has stopped the survey after doing a preliminary survey,” he said. “The process is now at a delicate state.” The ship is owned by Arya Ship Charterers and managed by Elektrans Shipping Pvt Ltd.
It is learnt the Coast Guard and the Cochin Port do not want to bring the vessel into the Kerala coast due to the dangers involved. “We don’t want the ship in our territory; we don’t want to take the cargo,” said another Coast Guard officer. The local authorities preferred the vessel to be taken to Sri Lanka. Ajithkumar Sukumaran, principal officer-cum-JT DG (tech), Mercantile Marine Department, DG Shipping, Kochi, said it is very dangerous to enter the vessel, and only international salvaging agencies have the expertise to handle it.