In October, the chemical tanker called Nu-Shi Nalini, drifted aground 2 nautical miles of Dona Paula, Goa. The vessel was anchored at the inner anchorage of the Mormugao Port in Goa before it broke loose from its restraints and began drifting towards the shore.
The vessel was loaded with about 3,000 tonnes of naphtha, 50 tonnes of heavy oil and 19 tonnes of diesel and the fears of an oil spill seriously worsened. Therefore, the Mormugao Port Trust (MTP) authority, immediately asked for help in the salvage operation from the Indian Navy, to avoid oil spillage.
Conforming to the Indian government, a three-member expert team was put in-charge of planning a remedial action.
A crew of four experts and support have gone on board the vessel to assess the condition of the grounded vessel. A 24×7 monitoring is being carried out by different agencies including MPT signal station.
… said a statement from the chief minister’s office.
The Indian Coast Guard has already sent an oil spill response vessel in the vicinity of the grounded vessel in case of emergency; Yet, there is no oil spill reported.
Due to stormy seas and intense maritime conditions, it is still challenging for the navy and coast guard vessels to get closer to the tanker, in order to salvage the naphtha gas, the 50 tons of oil and the 19 tons of diesel, into other tankers.
For the meantime, the agencies are still closely monitoring the ship, and with the sea conditions improving, the state administration efforts to salvage the tanker, will yield to positive results.
To keep vessels safe in light of challenging weather conditions, see also:
Ten tips for coping with weather at sea
Predicting wind direction and strength by reading a weather chart
