Paradip: Even as the sinking of the Mongolian cargo ship MV Black Rose off Paradip coast completed 12 years Thursday, the reason behind its sinking has remained a mystery.
The ‘MV Black Rose’ carrying a cargo of 23,847 metric tonnes of iron ores and 920 metric tonnes of furnace oil sank five km off Paradip coast under mysterious circumstances when it was on a chartered voyage to China, September 9, 2009.
The upper portion of the ship was earlier visible, but it has disappeared in the sea with the passage of time. The sinking of the ship is one of the infamous chapters in the history of the Paradip Port.
The probe agencies have not been able to resolve its mystery. They have also not been able to reach the ship owner Se Cook in Mongolia. Out of 27 crew members present on board the cargo ship, 26 were rescued while the chief engineer of the vessel lost his life.
The opposition parties in the state alleged that the vessel was engaged in the illegal transportation of iron ores and other minerals by forging documents.
The sinking of the ship not only became a major political issue in the state, but the matter was even dragged to Orissa High Court and, later to Supreme Court.
Sources said, iron ores were loaded into MV Back Rose September 9, 2009. However, as the cargo was wet, the captain asked to stop loading. Later, the half-loaded ship was asked to leave the berth and wait in the anchorage area of the port.
However, the ship sank in the sea in evening while waiting in the anchorage area. Out of 27 sailors, 26 were rescued by the port’s marine department personnel while the chief engineer of the ship Alexandra Illyushchenko drowned along with the ship.
His body was fished out after eight days. Preliminary inquiries revealed that the ship was operating without a license even 25 years after its commissioning. The sinking of the vessel was initially investigated by the Paradip Marine Police and then by the state Crime Branch.
It was later taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after then Paradip Port chairman Rinkesh Ray wrote to the Centre recommending a probe by the central agency in 2018.
In spite of the investigation by the premier probe agency, the exact reason behind the sinking of the cargo ship has remained a mystery. Meanwhile, the complainant Sankhanada Behera has died while many senior officers of the port have retired or been transferred.
Even 12 years after the sinking of the giant ship, its wreckages are yet to be cleared.
However, the sunken ship has proved to be a lurking danger for the fishermen as many fishing trawlers and ships have met with accidents after hitting the wreckages of the cargo vessel in the sea over last 12 years.
Neither the state government nor the port authorities seem to be in a mood to remove the debris of the ship from the sea bed. The PPT has reportedly spent around Rs 17 crore so far for clearing the leftover parts of the ship but it could not completely remove the sunken mass.
As per reports, Rs 120 crore is required to remove the total wreckages from the sea. Though the fishermen and locals have been demanding removal of the submerged ship from the sea, no steps have been taken by the state government or the port authorities in this regard.
PNN