Visakhapatnam: 'MV Maa' may take a month to re-float

Visakhapatnam: The 3,000-tonne Bangladeshi cargo vessel 'MV Maa' that got drifted from the anchorage point and ran aground is likely to take a month before getting re-floated.

In an effort to make the salvage operation an effective exercise, the Coast Guard has suggested to ensure the vessel is oil-free. The authorities concerned say that the oil-free vessel will aid in initiating the re-floating operation with ease and thereby minimising the risk of any oil spillage.

Keeping the marine environment in view, oil left in the ship is getting shifted to the shore.

Three years before, Visakhapatnam Port Trust provided training to its staff in oil spill response operation which is now coming in handy. Along with the Coast Guard officials and the naval officers, a dedicated team from the VPT is playing a role in the salvage operation of the MV Maa.

Already, the exercise to transfer the fuel from the vessel is in progress and the task is expected to take a couple of days further.

The representatives of MS Gill Marine, who're appointed to remove the fuel stock from the vessel, say that the fuel quantity left in the cargo vessel is more than what they expected initially. "We thought we would be clearing 50,000 litres of oil from the ship. But we have already shifted 70,000 litres and 10,000 litres more are expected to remain in the tank which will be cleared within two days," says a representative of MS Gill Marine.

Once the fuel gets emptied from MV Maa, the ship will go for a thorough scanning to check the possibility of any leakage before initiating the re-floating operation.

The port officials say that it would take at least 20 to 30 days for the re-floating operation to commence. Since the ship's anchor chains were parted while drifting ashore, the VPT officials expected a part of the ship would have got damaged. After a detailed analysis on the magnitude of the damage caused, re-floating exercise will begin by considering every measure to prevent any further damage to the ship.

Discussions are on with a Mumbai-based company to take up the re-floating task and the exercise is likely to march ahead in two-three days.