SHWETA KAMAT
PANJIM: Transhipper MV River Princess, which ran aground off Candolim-Sinquerim beach, has taken a heavy toll by destroying 85 metre of the State’s coastline, and causing a loss of around Rs 28 crore, a National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) study has revealed. The wreck lay there for almost 12 years before it was removed last year.
“The orientation of the ship with the coastline, its length, distance from the coastline and, more importantly, the direction of the waves prevailing over the region suggest that the wreck acted like an offshore breakwater and triggered erosion along this coast,” the research paper released by six scientists from NIO, reads.
NIO has been studying the effect/impact of River Princess on the marine environment from the beginning. NIO in 2012 had also conducted a study on soil erosion at Candolim.
“The extent of net erosion has been estimated at around 0.10934 sq km (109,340 sq m) during the past 12 years. A stretch of 1.5 km of the coast has receded by a maximum of 85 m. In economic terms, the loss of prime property is estimated at minimum Rs 28 crore,” the report stated.
Temporary satellite imageries (of the years 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2011), wave model (DHI) results and field measurements were used by the researchers to evaluate whether the grounded ship played a role in triggering erosion along the famous Candolim–Sinquerim beaches of Goa.
“Coastal sand dunes bore the maximum impact. The cause of the erosion is unique,” the scientists observed. They said that the zone of deposition was evidenced by the presence of a sand bar which gets partially exposed during low tide. As the littoral current along this coast is southward, the sand bar blocked the southward littoral drift. As a consequence, the sand depletion that followed subsequently induced erosion of the sea front.
“The direct impact of the wreck in eroding the coast and is more explicit during the South west monsoon. The powerful intensity of winds and higher significant wave height during the SW monsoon deteriorated the shore front that is now devoid of sand dunes and, as a consequence, has gradually become fragile due to severe erosion,” the study reveals.
The transhipper which was grounded at Sinquerim beach since 2000, was removed in May 2012 by a private company Arihant Services, which was asked to cut and remove it for a sum of Rs 99 crore. However, an NIO survey revealed that a large portion of the ship is still embedded in the sand and work will re-start to remove the remaining portion post-monsoon.
