SCI ship sinks off Mumbai, crew brought ashore safely

An offshore supply vessel of the state-run Shipping Corporation of India, SCI Ratna, sank off the Mumbai coast last evening, while all its 16 crew members were rescued and brought back to the shore by this afternoon.
"We have brought back all the 16 crew members onshore this afternoon," SCI chairman Capt Anoop Sharma told PTI.
The Director General of Shipping (DGS) has started a probe in the matter, he said.
Two DGS surveyors have met the crew members and they will continue the probe tomorrow, Sharma said, adding the initial assessment indicates ingress of water into the engine room as a possible reason for the mishap.

The corporation has also started completing other formalities like informing the lenders of the ship apart from initiating insurance claim, Sharma said.
"A close vigil is being kept at the spot where the ship sank. No pollution has been reported yet. She wasn't carrying large cargo but supplies like mud, fresh water, food rations and spare parts for the rigs," he said.

SCI Ratna was contracted with the ONGC to support its oil exploration operations in the Bombay High.
The ship sank around 7.30 yesterday evening, about 100 nautical miles west of the city in waters which are about 70-80 metres deep.

According to the data on trade websites, the 2,039-tonne ship was built in 2011 and had a length of 64 metres.