Two sand dredgers and other machineries have been moved to remove the grounded River Princess off Candolim coast. “We have started moving equipment and machineries towards the River Princess site. Two dredgers have started test-dredging the area,” informed Mr Leo Dias, Arihant Ship Breakers administration in-charge. Arihant senior officials have left for Delhi with a map displaying contours and straits in the areas where the ship remain grounded. The map prepared by the Captain of Ports is for submitting to the central customs. Mr Dias said an 80-metre-long imported crane has been anchored at the Britona jetty and ready to start uploading the scarp onto a dump truck, which will offload it within chalk marking by the customs under the Mandovi bridge towards the Britona side.
The crane that has been anchored at Britona jetty for the removal of the grounded ship River Princess.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board has given its consent to gas cut the vessel. The cutting and transporting of the pieces to the Britona jetty would be done under the supervision of GSPCB officials, said the GSPCB chairman, Dr Simon de Souza. The final approval from the central customs in Delhi for cutting up River Princess is probably the final action to signing the contract between Arihant Ship Builders and the state government for the removal of the grounded vessel.
The ship has undergone ten years of endurance. All the necessary no-objection certificates are in place that includes coastal regulation zone, the Captain of Ports, the GSPCB and the CCP. By next week, the 10-year saga of the grounded ship may come to an end. The ship has played havoc with the Candolim-Sinquerim beach posing a danger to swimmers apart from polluting the coastline. Arihant Ship Breaking won the bid among the short-listed bidders that include M/s Madgavkar Salvage & Smith Salvage Goa, Resolve Salvage and Fire Europe Ltd, UK and M/s Titan Salvage Pvt Ltd, The River Princess, a merchant vessel is a 240-metre-long ore carrier belonged to M/s Salgaocar Mining Industries Ltd, went aground in June, 2000.
Courtesy: NT
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