Scrap mafia are making fast bucks from the wreckage of Black Rose, the Mongolian cargo ship which capsized near Paradip port in 2009. Over four years after the incident, the ship is yet to be removed from the sea and cashing in on the opportunity, scrap mafia are stealing chunks of its body using gas cutters despite the fact that the shipwreck site has been declared as no navigation zone.
The 32-year-old Mongolian vessel, measuring 187.7 metre in length had sunk while carrying 23,847 tonnes of iron ore about six km from the breakwater of Paradip Port on September 9, 2009. It developed a technical snag prior to the tragedy. As many as 27 crew members were in the ship on the fateful evening.
As on today, a large portion of the ship’s body is already missing. Sources said due to lapses in coastal security, scrap dealers are going to the sea, stealing the ship wreckage and selling them in lakhs of rupees in the open market.
While trustee of the Paradip Port Trust Sudhakar Mantray said despite intervention of the Orissa High Court, nothing has been done so far to remove remnants of Black Rose from the sea. “As a result, the scrap dealers are having a free hand. Frequent thefts of the scrap have also raised questions on coastal security,” he said.
Paradip SDPO Bhabani Sankar Mishra said no one has filed any complaint regarding theft of the wreckage.
In November 2010, adjudging a PIL, the High Court had directed Collector Narayan Chandra Jena to take possession of Black Rose as the ‘receiver of wreck’ and proceed with salvage operation.
Even a two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice V Gopal Gowda and Justice BN Mohapatra directed the Director General of Shipping to provide all help to the District Magistrate of Jagatsinghpur in terms of expert assistance and funds as provided in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 for the salvage operation of the capsized ship.
The order was issued on a fresh PIL filed by Peoples Union of Civil Liberties (Odisha), seeking judicial intervention so that the Jagatsinghpur district magistrate acts as the ‘receiver of wreck’ and takes the responsibility of fishing out the sunken ship. But, the salvage operation has not started yet and the wreckage of the ship is still staying put in the sea.
