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Ship salvaging oil from Greek tanker off Pak coast breaks down
Karachi, Aug 24: Efforts to remove tonnes of oil from a leaking Greek vessel wrecked off Pakistan`s east coast suffered another set back today when a ship involved in the operation broke down, an official said.
Karachi, Aug 24: Efforts to remove tonnes of oil from a leaking Greek vessel wrecked off Pakistan's east coast suffered another set back today when a ship involved in the operation broke down, an official said.
"Salvage ship fair jolly is under repair as it had
developed some technical fault," Karachi port trust official
Brigadier Iftikhar Arshad told a news agency.
Barges were expected later today to resume the operation to remove 18,000 tonnes of oil still on the MV Tasman Spirit, which ran aground off Karachi on July 27 and began to spew some of the 62,000 tonnes of oil it held. "We have arranged three barges of 2,000-tonnes capacity each that are expected to start oil salvage operations later today evening or tonight," Arshad said.
A fourth barge with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes had set sail from the southwestern Gwadar coast and was expected in Karachi by late afternoon, he said.
The Greek-flagged ship broke up on august 14 after some 20,000 tonnes had been salvaged. Since last Sunday another 12,000 tonnes of oil has been removed. The Fair Jolly's Dutch Captain, Van Lamb, and a Greek crew member, Nick Ppas, had meanwhile fallen sick were recovering at a Karachi hospital, Arshad said.
Efforts to removed the oil from the MV Tasman Spirit have already been hampered by rough seas.
The spill is the worst experienced by Pakistan and has destroyed young mangroves, turtles and fish along Karachi's 16-kilometre coastline. "The leakage of oil from the damaged tanker is still continuing but it was minor," Arshad said.
Bureau Report
Barges were expected later today to resume the operation to remove 18,000 tonnes of oil still on the MV Tasman Spirit, which ran aground off Karachi on July 27 and began to spew some of the 62,000 tonnes of oil it held. "We have arranged three barges of 2,000-tonnes capacity each that are expected to start oil salvage operations later today evening or tonight," Arshad said.
A fourth barge with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes had set sail from the southwestern Gwadar coast and was expected in Karachi by late afternoon, he said.
The Greek-flagged ship broke up on august 14 after some 20,000 tonnes had been salvaged. Since last Sunday another 12,000 tonnes of oil has been removed. The Fair Jolly's Dutch Captain, Van Lamb, and a Greek crew member, Nick Ppas, had meanwhile fallen sick were recovering at a Karachi hospital, Arshad said.
Efforts to removed the oil from the MV Tasman Spirit have already been hampered by rough seas.
The spill is the worst experienced by Pakistan and has destroyed young mangroves, turtles and fish along Karachi's 16-kilometre coastline. "The leakage of oil from the damaged tanker is still continuing but it was minor," Arshad said.
Bureau Report