Team Herald
MARGAO: Aam Aadmi Party has asked MPT and the State government, to come clean on Nu Shi Nalini and asked if it was settled between them to allocate the cargo to MPT for auction and the vessel to the govt for salvaging.
AAP Seafarers Cell in-charge Captain Venzy Viegas said the ‘hurried’ e auction notice by MPT, indicates a criminal conspiracy between both the MPT and the govt. He said the onus was on Customs to clarify the classification of cargo as well its ownership as there was a huge duty involvement.
Giving the history of the vessel being loaded with 10699.74MT of Naphtha from Pakistan under four Different Bills of Lading dated June 5, 2018, Viegas said that last port of cargo discharge was Mundra Port. He said that shipping circles were aware of an engine room explosion while at anchor off Kochi, after which the vessel had 2,500 MT of naphtha, which was meant for Port Budge Budge, India.
He referred to reports of cargo that had leaked from the cargo tanks into the pump room and engine room, which the crew recovered from the pump room prior to the incident. He alleged that the bogey of contamination of balance cargo was to evade customs duty and share the spoils and will require an investigation.
Viegas explained that after the explosion on board, LOF Salvage Agreement was signed between Owners of Vessel and Salvage company RESOLVE in June 2018 by incorporating the SCOPIC clause by which the amount of remuneration is awarded to salvors for their services in saving property at sea and minimising or preventing damage to the environment. Based on SCOPIC clause, initial security of USD 3 million in the form of a Letter of Undertaking was provided by insurers as Navigators Protection & Indemnity. He added that since all requests to seek shelter or enter any Indian port to undertake the salvage operation were rejected it was to tow the vessel to Sri Lanka, where a permit had been obtained. However, due to a dispute, RESOLVE served a notice of termination of the LOF in July 2018, eventually paving the way for LOTS shipping to step in to complete the salvage operations. The salvors had to ensure that the cargo in the pump room, engine room and the slope tanks, being contaminated, is not mixed with the main cargo.
Viegas said MPT has to now come clean on why LOTs did not complete the salvage job and despite such a chequered history, why MPT chose to allow entry to the vessel into Goa.
AAP Convenor Elvis Gomes said MPT’s conduct is inconsistent with ISO certification it boasts of and that it’s action of inviting a known disaster into Goa, smacked of corruption.
