Paradip (Orissa): The search for the body of
the Chief Engineer of a Mongolian cargo ship which sank off
Paradip port continued for the second day on Thursday even as the
port trust set up a committee to probe into the incident.
Coast Guard vessels searched throughout the day to locate
the body of Oleksandr Lyushckenko, a Ukrainian national, who
died when the ship, 'Black Rose' carrying over 45,000 tonnes
of iron ore sank last night.
However, all other 26 crew members had been rescued by
the Coast Guard and CISF personnel.
Meanwhile, the Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has ordered an
inquiry into the mishap.
"Deputy-conservator and the traffic manager of the port
are asked to submit a preliminary report on the cause of last
night's ship mishap," PPT secretary P K Nanda told agency.
The ship was believed to be old one which might have
lost its balance after loading of cargo, sources said.
Quoting a crew member, a senior port official said
Oleksandr had refused to come out of the cabin when others
vacated the ship when it started sinking.
"Our rescue teams are guarding the sank ship and
searching for the body in nearby areas," said a Coast Guard
official.
The PPT authorities issued an alert to concerned
authorities in apprehension of a possible marine pollution
from fuel oil and debris of the ship which contained
thousands of litre of fuel.
"Our anti-pollution squad was keeping close watch on
the appearance of oil on the sea water," Nanda said.
While the cost of the ship was estimated to be Rs 90
crore, it was loaded with iron ore worth Rs 2.5 crore, sources
said.
In a separate notice, the PPT had also cautioned other
vessel operators and navigating agencies to remain alert while
coming to the berth.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, September 10, 2009, 22:45