VASCO: After an eight-day rescue mission launched by Arihant Ship Breakers, the grounded tugboat, MT Lotus, was finally removed from Arossim beach on Monday evening. The salvage operations for the grounded pontoon, Bhageerath, will begin in three to four days, informed I Jeyakumar, MPT Chairman.
According to Jeyakumar, the tugboat MT Lotus was brought by Arihant Ship Breakers to tow away the grounded pontoon from Arossim beach on April 24. However, the thick rope that was used to pull the pontoon got stuck to the propeller area of the tugboat, which then ran aground few metres away from the pontoon.
“The tug was successfully removed by Arihant Ship Breakers on Monday evening. Collector Sachin Shinde has been directly monitoring the situation on day-to-day basis. On Saturday, he inspected the site and later held a meeting with the agencies involved in the rescue mission. As per his directions, the salvage operation team added two more JCBs, an excavator and manual labourers. The sand around the tug was removed, and with the help of another tugboat, the grounded tug was towed away,” said Jeyakumar.
Regarding the grounded pontoon, Jeyakumar stated, “As per information from Arihant officials, they have started removing sand and water from the wind tank. Once all the sand and water is removed, they will seal the cracks on the wind tanks, and then, by using both the tugs, the pontoon will be removed. But to start this process, it will take another three to four days.”
