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Goans and visitors to the picturesque state may have to put up with another eyesore if a crippled Singapore-based ship follows in the footsteps of the ore carrier MV River Princess, which lies grounded about 100 metres off the famous Candolim-Calangute-Baga beach.
MT Heu Sen, a crude carrier, had split into two as a result of a blast that took place inside the ship on January 12, leaving three dead. The others were rescued by ships responding to distress calls.
According to Coast Guard Commandant V S R Murthy, a 30-metre section of MT Heu Sen juts out of the water at an angle of 25 degrees and it is drifting towards the coast.
While the explosion had occurred around 280 nautical miles away from the coast, the truncated portion now lies just 70 nautical miles off the coast.
While one effort by a naval aircraft to blast the ship and sink it had failed, naval authorities would be making another attempt, Comdt Murthy said. "Sinking it is the only solution," he added.
According to the Coast Guard, there is no danger of an oil spill as the crude carrier was on its way to the United Arab Emirates to take a fresh load. "It can, however, be a major navigational hazard," Comdt Murthy said.
In case of the River Princess, the Coast Guard alerted the state government after some persons were found to be stealing parts of the ship, which could lead to its speedy corrosion.
"We do not even know how much oil is still left inside," Murthy revealed.
Under the circumstances, Coast Guard authorities fear that even a little rough weather may cause serious damage to the ship.
"The ship has developed a huge rectangular hole from where water is freely flowing inside the ship," Comdt Murthy told mediapersons on Thursday morning after he briefed Chief Secretary Baleshwar Rai on the developments.
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