Thaindian News

Bhubaneswar, Sep 14 (IANS) The administration in Orissa’s Paradip port is gearing up for the removal of fuel oil from a sunken ship, a senior port official said Monday after experts warned that a spill could pollute the marine environment.
“A team of experts and divers has arrived here from Kolkata. They are examining the ship,” the port’s deputy conservator G.K. Biswal told IANS. The area is close to the nesting site of rare Olive Ridley turtles.

“They will see how the oil can be removed. It may take 10 to 15 days. No spillage has been reported from the ship so far. Our people are keeping a close watch,” he said.

The Mongolian vessel capsized in the harbour area of Paradip port, some 100 km from here, carrying about 25,000 tonnes of iron ore fines and 900 tonnes of oil.

Although 26 crew members were rescued within three hours of the ship’s sinking, one is still missing. “Our priority is to locate the missing crewman and efforts are on,” he said.

The site where the ship has gone down is very close to the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, one of the few remaining nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles in the world. The turtles come to the site every year around this month for breeding.

Port authorities say they have deployed officials and taken all steps to prevent any spillage from the ship, but Biswajit Mohanty, coordinator of Operation Kachhapa, a turtle conservation group, said he sees a threat to the turtles.