Team Herald
VASCO: Taking serious note of the partial/ gradual sinking of floating dry dock due to the Ingress of water, the Mormugao Port Trust on Wednesday lodged a formal police complaint against the Western India Shipyard Limited (WISL) management. They accused the WISL of being responsible for negligence and for posing a threat to the marine environment. MPT also confirmed through its complaint that if immediate action is not taken, the situation may lead to serious environmental damage.
In its three-page complaint, MPT claimed the WISL management had committed serious offences within the harbour jurisdiction and further requested the police to register the complaint and to carry out appropriate investigation and punish the concerned offenders.
According to the complaint an agreement dated April 5, 1993 was executed between MPT and WISL whereby 31000 square meters of area was licensed by MPT to WISL for setting up and operating dry dock and ship repair facility. The term of said agreement extended up to April 2018. Further, the management of WISL had issued a yard closure notice in September 2016 and discontinued the dry dock operations. In the absence of operations the dry dock remained idle and not manned. In the recent past there have been instances of water ingress and listing of floating dry dock causing concerns. The complaint states, the authorities on such ocassions had taken up the matter strongly with WISL and requested them to ensure the dry dock was is safely secured and afloat.
Later on April 25 and May 9, 2017, it was brought to the notice of WISL that the floating dry dock was in the process of partial/ gradual sinking due to Ingress of water and also instructed that immediate steps be taken to prevent any disaster. Further the port also sent letters to the district collector south Goa, disaster management CE authority to issue necessary directions to WISL to ensure safety of dry dock as well as to prevent leakage.
However despite repeated request from MPT to WISL, the company neglected to carry out day to day necessary maintenance and repairs to keep the dry dock afloat free and this could now be a danger as the grounded vessel could threatev environment due to an oil spill. Now due to lack of maintenance the dry dock started sinking partially towards breakwater and there is danger to the port property as well as to the grounded vessel MV QING.
