Port Trust panel to probe lapses after ship tilted in Vizag

The Visakhapatnam Port Trust on Friday constituted a high-level official committee to look into the lapses in loading steel billets of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) into the Vietnamese merchant vessel Hai Duong 09

The Visakhapatnam Port Trust on Friday constituted a high-level official committee to look into the lapses in loading steel billets of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) into the Vietnamese merchant vessel Hai Duong 09, which resulted in the tilting of ship towards the deck side on Wednesday.

PL Haranath, deputy chairman of Port Trust, clarified to HT that stevedore of cargo, which loaded the iron billets, was Srivalli Shipping and not JM Baxi and Co., as reported earlier. (File Photo)

PL Haranath, deputy chairman of Port Trust, clarified to HT that stevedore of cargo, which loaded the iron billets, was Srivalli Shipping and not JM Baxi and Co., as reported earlier.

The mistake could be due to miscommunication. Haranath said the inquiry committee would probe into the causes – whether it was due to improper loading, mistake by crew, or technical errors. “We shall take appropriate action based on the inquiry report,” he said.

Haranath said the cargo ship had been restored to more or less the normal position.