Korean Firm Assumes Responsibility For Clearing Hooghly

The responsibility for clearing the blocked Hooghly channel by lifting the remains of the Korean cargo ship which sunk last week, has been taken by Doo Yang Ship Management Company managing director K Y Chu and P&I Club representative P Davis at a meeting with the Calcutta Port Trust (CPT) officials, yesterday

The Korean company told CPT officials that a Singapore-based salvage operation company has been contacted for the job. The team from Singapore would visit Mayapur, the site where the MS Green Opal sank on Thursday, and submit a detailed plan for the salvage of the ship within seven days of their arrival.

 

Estimates are that it would take about three months to lift the remains of the ship and its cargo which comprises about 6,000 tonnes of iron materials.

The Singapore-based company is to chart out alternatives for the movement of ships in the channel during the lifting of broken ship.

Meanwhile, pending the clearing of the blocked river channel by the Korean company, the CPT will be provided with a bank guarantee.

The Korean charterer of the ship has sought time for the guarantee.

CPT on its part has decided to allow bigger ships of the size of 475 feet to sail through the channel, thereby increasing the higher tonnage movement. After the ship disaster, only ships of the 416 feet size were allowed to move, skirting the sunken Korean ship.

CPT is trying to reposition a red buoy at the site of the disaster and another buoy will be anchored there to help ship movement.

When this buoy operation will be completed ship movement will increase, a CPT source said.