KARACHI: The cargo motor vessel (MV) Heng Tong 77 that ran aground to find itself stuck at the Seaview beach cannot be salvaged before August 15, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Maritime Affairs, Mahmood Moulvi, announced on Monday.
Talking to journalists along with Chairman Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the PM’s adviser said millions of liters of oil is present in the cargo ship, adding that the authorities would extract oil to contain the damage in case of any spillage.
He further said that the authorities concerned will have to siphon off the oil from the ship first so that it could be moved, adding that the ship’s engine was very weak to make it work.
Replying to a question, the SAPM said that the port remained closed during the Eid holidays because of which work was halted, adding that when the rescue team initially reached near the ship to help it move, water had entered already entered the vessel.
Giving details of how the ship was stranded, Mahmood Moulvi said that the cargo ship beached at Karachi’s Sea View after it lost its anchors due to rough weather. “The ship was on its way to Istanbul and did not completely enter the Karachi Harbour, although it was anchored in Pakistani waters awaiting a crew change,” he added.
Mahmood Moulvi also said that 100 tonnes of oil will be extracted in the first phase. “The owner of the ship is Iranian and its company is in Dubai,” he added.
“The owners will need to claim insurance in order to salvage the ship, be it by pulling it out in one piece or breaking it. So they must abide by international maritime laws if they want to claim that insurance,” he pointed out.
The 98 metres in length and 20 metres wide ship, with a capacity of 3,600 dead weight tonnage, said to be built in 2010, was waiting for a crew change outside the Karachi Harbour while on its way to Turkey from China when a mild sea storm caused it to lose its anchors and start drifting towards the shore.
Meanwhile, the area has been completely cordoned off and no one is allowed to approach the vessel without permission.
It was soon after MV Heng Tong ended up at Seaview beach that people arrived at the spot to see it despite the fact that the beach was closed under Section 144 of the criminal procedure code, banning people from getting into the rough monsoon sea.
