Ship stranded off Goa coast refloated, towed to MPT

Forty-seven days after it drifted from Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) and ran aground off Dona Paula, the chemical tanker was refloated and towed to MPT at midnight. A Netherland-based company was earlier given the contract to salvage the stranded vessel 'Nu-Shi Nalini' and empty it.

Panaji:The naphtha-laden ship than ran aground off the Raj Bhavan coast in Goa has been towed to the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) after being re-floated, officials said on Thursday.

A Netherland-based company was earlier given the contract to salvage the stranded vessel 'Nu-Shi Nalini' and empty it.

The unmanned ship, which was anchored at the MPT, drifted on October 24 and ran aground after hitting rocks about 2.5 nautical miles off the Goa coast.

It was successfully refloated on Wednesday night, state Ports Minister Michael Lobo said.

The vessel was then towed to the MPT in the wee hours of Thursday, a port trust official said.

The Pramod Sawant-led Goa government earlier drew flak for failure to salvage the ship, as it posed a threat to the environment and marine life along the state's coast.

The Director-General of Shipping had formed a five-member committee to oversee off-loading of naphtha from the vessel and its salvage operation.