PANJIM: Towing the controversial casino vessel M V Lucky 7 has turned out to be an extremely tricky task, given that its removal from Miramar beach is facing multiple failures.
Immediately after the vessel’s towing operation resumed on Tuesday morning, amidst heavy rainfall, the engine of one of the three tug boats failed and its rope snapped forcing the salvors to abort the operation till the next high tide.
On Monday, the vessel had moved about 300 mtrs away from the beach and had hit the sand bar due to the low tide leading to postponing the towing exercise. When the salvors resumed the operation on Tuesday, at around 10.15am the vessel’s position shifted, but the engine failure of the tugboat named ‘Maria’ forced a halt to the operation.
There were a few moments of panic when after the tope snapped, the vessel fell back around 10 to 15 metres. “The engine of the tugboat failed because of the choking of the oil filter and its rope snapped. The weather and wind force was also heavy. As a result, the vessel fell back 10-15 metres and is now resting on the sand bank,” said a member of the salvage team.
The vessel is now tied to the remaining two tugboats, one of which belongs to the Captain of Ports Department. “Once the weather subsides and the engine of the tug boat is repaired, the towing operation will resume tomorrow (Wednesday),” he said. The high tide on Wednesday is expected at around 10:45am.
Resuming the exercise during the bad weather, particularly when there was a warning of heavy rain from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Goa, has raised a big question mark on the wisdom of the salvors. Golden Globe Hotels Pvt Ltd hired AMS Marine LLC, the company based in Egypt and Dubai after terminating the contract with Arihant Ship Breakers last month.
“An attempt was made due to the high tide and also because of the nearing deadline that was submitted to the high court. The vessel was partly moved yesterday. Rains are not the criteria for the salvage operation, it is the wind and the high tide instead,” said an official from the firm.
