US-based Resolve gets oil discharge contract

Paradeep Port Trust (PPT) has selected USA-based Resolve Marine Group to retrieve 975 tonnes of furnace oil from the tanks of Black Rose, exactly a month after the vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal, about five km from the port. Resolve Marine Group would discharge oil from the sunken vessel at a cost of Rs 17.5 crore and the operation will take 45 days for completion. The firm is expected to start work within ten days.

Addressing media persons at Paradeep, K Raghuramaiah, chairman, PPT, said, “The owners and mangers of the sunken vessel did not respond and have not taken up the salvage operations. While legal action has been initiated against the owners and management company of the vessel, PPT is taking up the work of removal of oil from the ill-fated ship”.

PPT had floated a global tender for carrying out the work of removal of 975 tonnes of furnace oil from the sunken ship to prevent large scale oil pollution and save the environment and marine habitat.

“The tender for the same has been finalized and the work has been awarded to Resolve Marine Group. PPT has decided to invite another tender for removal of the sunken vessel from the sea within a few days”, said Raghuramaiah.

Another surveyor has been placed to supervise the work of this firm to ensure proper and smooth oil discharge operations, he added. Four firms- USA-based Resolve Marine Group, Switcher India Pvt Ltd and Veeraj Clean Sea Enterprises, both based out of Mumbai and Gujrat Enterprises, Bhavanagar had submitted their bids in response to the global tender. “A high level committee has been formed to conduct an enquiry into the mishap. As per the Indian Merchandise Shipping Act 356 (J) and (A), PPT is not at all responsible for the salvage operations”, he informed.

On repatriation of the 26 rescued crew members, Raghuramaiah said, “The repartition of the 26 crew members is yet to be decided as the clearance for their repartition has not been received from the directorate general of shipping .The owner of the sunken vessel had submitted forged documents and insurance papers and this has affected the repatriation of the rescued crew members.”

PPT has taken various steps to check the documents and other papers of different vessels at Paradeep to prevent irregularities in the future, he said. Asked if PPT has received any letter from the director of environment of the Orissa government, he said, PPT is yet to receive any such letter.

Sources said the director of environment of the Orissa government had written a letter to remove the sunken vessel to prevent break water syndrome as the vessel has blocked movement of sand on the beach. This in turn threatened to squeeze the shore’s space on the Gahirmatha beach, thereby affecting the mass nesting of turtles.