PARADIP: Seven years after Mongolian ship ‘Black Rose’ sank off the Paradip coast, it is yet to be removed from the sea raising navigational safety issues. According to experts, the sunken ship with limited visibility above water could lead to serious accidents in future for passing ships, trawlers and other floating craft.
Meanwhile, despite regular patrolling in the sea by the Indian Coast Guard, marine police and PPT patrolling boats, the upper portion of the haul of the ship has been cut and stolen by the scrap mafia.
On September 9, 2009, the ship sank off the Paradip coast killing its Ukrainian chief engineer and injuring 27 crew members, who were rescued by the tugs of the Paradip Port Trust (PPT). Wet iron ore loaded during heavy rain and bad weather were attributed as the reason behind capsizing of the vessel.
The ship owner, Se Cook, was reportedly operating the ship with forged documents which escaped the eyes of the international and port community.
On the other hand, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is yet to make any breakthrough in the sinking of the vessel case while the matter continues to get delayed in the Calcutta High Court.
Similarly, the investigating team is yet to quiz Cook and the agent of the ship, N N Mukherjee of Kolkata-based Sea Trans Shipping Company, a former traffic manager of Kolkata Port Trust. Though the team visited Singapore to quiz Cook and its operator, it returned empty-handed.
Acting on a PIL filed by State unit secretary of People’s Union of Civil Liberties Guru Prasad Mohanty, a division bench of the Orissa High Court had directed the Director-General of Shipping to provide all help to the Jagatsinghpur district administration under Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 for salvage operation of the abandoned capsized ship.