Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over grounding of Malaysian cargo ship near Chilika Lake, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera Monday said oil from the ship will be removed soon.
Speaking to reporters here, Behera said Puri district administration has initiated talks with the owner of the Malaysian cargo ship ‘Jin Hwa 32’ for removal of around 30,000 litres of oil from the vessel.
“Earlier, there were problems in tracing the owner. But now the Malaysian owner has been traced and he has already taken permission from the Puri District Collector for removal of oil from the vessel. After the vessel is emptied of the oil, steps will be taken for the removal of the vessel,” said Behera.
As per reports, the cargo vessel with dead-weight tonnage of 7,500 had sailed from Mongla Port August 2, 2019 and was heading towards Visakhapatnam Port. However, after being caught in stormy waters, and subsequently developed technical snag following which it veered towards Odisha coast.
Earlier, the Indian Coast Guard had written a letter to the owner of the vessel and Odisha government citing that the ship which is loaded with fuel and lubricant, poses threat to eco-sensitive Chilika as well as Odisha Coast.
The tug contains 30,000 litres of diesel, 1,000 litres of lube oil and 200 litres of hydraulic oil.