The Hindu : Karnataka News : Cargo ship stuck near Karwar

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Karnataka

Karnataka

Cargo ship stuck near Karwar

Correspondent

Karwar: What appears to be the rerun of ‘Oshian Seria’ episode of May 2006, a ship with Panama flag was caught between two big boulders near Kurmagad island near Karwar early on Sunday.

The cargo ship m.v. Shahin with Panama flag belongs to Fly Flowers Trading Company of Dubai owned by Jabaj Ali. It was on its way to Dubai from Malaysia. The ship had 10 sailors on board and of them six were Indians, three Iranians and one was from Siberia, the sources from the Port Department said. The ship had 19 tonnes of fuel, 13 tonnes of diesel and 4,000 tonnes of lubricant oil in it.

According to sources, the ship that was in the international waters in Arabian Sea had no plan to enter Indian waters. However, heavy rain and bad weather forced the crew members to anchor the ship in deep sea. But the anchors were dislocated and the ship drifted towards the Kurmagad Island in the sea. Kurmagad island is about 8 km from Karwar. Soon after getting the messages from the crew members,the helicopters from the INS Kadamba Naval base in war rescued the crew members on board. But the crew members reportedly refused to leave the ship and decided to stay on board.

After that, tugs belonging to the Port Department were used to pull the ship out of the boulders. But incessant rain and the wind in the sea prevented the tugs from reaching the ship. According to the district authorities, it would be difficult to remove the ship that was caught between the boulders because the front portion is directed towards the island.

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