PARADIP: A vessel failed to move on to the new iron ore berth at the Paradip port on Sunday reportedly due to the loading of cargo beyond its said capacity. Sources said MV Ripley Pride was berthed on the new berth of Paradip port since Wednesday for transporting a cargo of JSW TPML’s iron pellets.
While the capacity of the said vessel is 1.20 metric tonne, it was reportedly loaded with around 1.54 lakh metric tonne of cargo.
When the vessel was being readied to set sail to its destination, it did not move to leave the crew members panicked. Later it was revealed that heavier cargo on top of lighter ones led to the problem. Besides, it was also suspected that the concerned agencies might not have conducted a draft survey on the vessel’s capacity correctly.
Meanwhile, other vessels waiting in the anchorage area were not able to move to the berth due to a lack of space. Also, there was no space for storage of excess cargo because of which unloading of the said cargo got delayed. On the other hand, what added to the delay was that the cargo had to be unloaded manually since there was no facility to unload the same with help of machines.
Contacted, a senior official of the PPA on condition of anonymity confessed that the issue took place due to an incorrect draft survey conducted on the capacity of the vessel because of which it got overloaded.
“Steps have been taken to unload the excess cargo manually and it might take some time. Nearly three vessels are waiting at the anchorage area to enter the berth for transportation of cargo,” he added.