Abandoned ship sinks

August 3: The abandoned merchant vessel `Sea Empress' finally sank nine miles off the Mumbai coast on Saturday afternoon after developing a...

August 3: The abandoned merchant vessel `Sea Empress’ finally sank nine miles off the Mumbai coast on Saturday afternoon after developing a leak while at anchorage on Thursday.

All 19 crew including its Pakistani skipper and chief engineer were rescued by a naval helicopter on Friday morning before the ship took in water and sank outside port limits.

The ship sank 5 nautical miles (nm) off the Kanderi light house at Mandwa, some 2 nm outside Mumbai port limits. ONGC sources confirmed that the ship had not sunk on oil pipelines as was feared earlier. The city’s western coast now holds wrecks of three cargo vessels that have sunk in the past one year, carrying between them over 30,000 tonnes of sulphur which could pose a threat to marine life.

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According to shipping sources, the ship’s Protection and Indemnity (P and I) cover – which covers the equivalent of third party insurance in motor vehicles – had expired and the ship’s captain was negotiating with the owner for re-establishing the P and I. Port trust rules prohibit the entry of ships into port without P and I, which covers the cost of wreck removal and damage to other ships in case the ship sinks in port limits.

“The ship could have been saved had it been allowed entry into the port on humanitarian grounds,” a shipping official who did not wish to be named told Express Newsline on Sunday. He added that the 19-member crew could even have been killed had the Navy not rescued them.

“This ship was owned by fly by night operators who have insured their cargo and the hull and machinery but are least bothered about P and I cover which pays for damage to other ships or salvaging the vessel in port limits,” a senior Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) official said. He cited the example of a ship without P and I cover that sank in the Calcutta port limits on June 19. The government had to incur a cost of Rs 8 crore to salvage the vessel.

The St Vincent flagged ship, owned by the Bayat group of companies in Dubai, was carrying a 4200 tonne sulphur cargo for the National Rayon Corporation in India. The ship’s value has been estimated at around $ US 300,000. According to officials from Unimarine, the ship’s agents in Mumbai, the ship left Bahrain for Mumbai on July 13 and arrived in here two weeks later on July 27 – taking twice the normal time for the route. The `Sea Empress’ developed engine trouble en route and the captain had requested the owner for spares and assistance. The ship’s Dubai-based owner Iqbal Bayat was reportedly busy docking another of his ships in Colombo and could not devote time to the struggling `Sea Empress’. At around 4.30 am on Friday morning, the ship’s captain sent a distress call to the Navy stating that the ship had lost its engines, and that water was entering the ship which was dragging anchor.

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Meanwhile, the Mercantile Marine Dept has commenced enquiries into the cause of the disaster. Its officials interviewed the ship’s crew on Saturday. Shipping sources believe this could not be more than a formality since “unlike the `Arcadia Pride’ which sank in June killing 24 crew, the `Sea Empress’ was flying a foreign flag and none of the crew lost their lives.” The Director General of Shipping has instructed the owners to place a beacon marking the spot of the wreck.