Ship sinks in Bombay High; oil rig is safe
The cargo vessel MV Oel Vision passed clear of the rig and sank early on Wednesday and there was no damage to any installation.
A disabled merchant vessel on Wednesday sank near an ONGC platform in Bombay High without damaging the oil rig and its 28-member crew was rescued in a joint operation by the Navy and Coast Guard.
The cargo vessel MV Oel Vision passed clear of the rig and sank early on Wednesday and there was no damage to any installation, an official statement said.
The ship, carrying 268 containers, had been stranded nearly a nautical mile from the oil platform and had posed a threat to the rig, the statement said. The Navy had on Tuesday considered the option of sinking the vessel to avert a collision with the rig.
Navy and Coast Guard helicopters are searching for any containers that may have broken free of the ship. These containers will be sunk so that they do not pose any danger to other ships and vessels, the statement said.
A Seaking helicopter of the Navy last night rescued 27 members of the vessel's crew and airlifted them to the naval air station at Colaba.
The ship's captain initially opted to stay on the vessel to help an attempt to tow it out of the area but was rescued late in the night, the statement said.
The crew had been stranded aboard the vessel owned by the Shreyas Shipping Corporation near the western edge of Bombay High after a major machinery breakdown on the Oel Vision.
The Regional Contingency Committee comprising representatives of the Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, ONGC and Director General of Shipping decided to rescue the crew during a meeting on Tuesday.
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