US company hired to salvage grounded Bangladeshi ship off Vizag coast

Visakhapatnam: Management of Bangladesh vessel MV MAA, which ran aground following the snapping of anchors off the Vizag coast, has hired a US-based company to undertake the salvage operations and refloat the vessel.

The 3000-tonne Bangladeshi cargo vessel MV Maa drifted from the anchorage point and ran aground following the deep depression in the Bay near Tenneti Park in Vizag city on Tuesday.

The ship management has now hired Resolve Marine Pvt Ltd, a US company, to undertake the salvage operations and refloat the vessel.

The ship, which was empty, had come to Visakhapatnam Port to load cargo. It was waiting near the anchorage point for the last couple of days for the berthing itinerary.

The salvage operations can be initiated only after the removal of oil from the vessel to avoid any risk of pollution. No water ingress or oil pollution has been reported so far.

The vessel owner’s Protection and Indemnity Club has appointed MS Gill Marine to remove fuel from the vessel. It is reported that Gill Marine has obtained permission from various government authorities to take up the work. But, since there is no road access to the site of the grounded vessel, a temporary road is laid by the vendor to mobilize men and material.

The Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) also has mobilized its own oil spill response equipment with a dedicated team to the site to cater to any untoward oil pollution around the vessel. It may take two to three days to transfer the oil from the grounded ship to shore. The vessel is having 41 tons of oil and 9 tons of diesel on board.

The shipping said the engine of the ship began malfunctioning soon after arrival at the anchorage.

All the 15 Bangladeshi crew are still on board. Gill Marine has provided a generator to the vessel. Another agency is supplying food, water, and other essential goods to the crew.