‘Lighter MT Pavit will be easier to move’

The Merchant Tanker Pavit, which ran aground off the Juhu beach on July 31, will be easier to salvage than Merchant Vessel Wisdom, which remained grounded at Juhu beach for more than three weeks.

The Merchant Tanker Pavit, which ran aground off the Juhu beach on July 31, will be easier to salvage than Merchant Vessel Wisdom, which remained grounded at Juhu beach for more than three weeks.

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According to the Directorate General of Shipping, MT Pavit will be easier to salvage than MV Wisdom, which was tugged away to a breaking yard after three failed attempts. “MT Pavit is lighter than MV Wisdom and there is no need for us to wait for high tide to remove it,” said Satish Agnihotri, director general of shipping.

Agnihotri said that the owners have already come forward and are searching for a firm that will undertake the salvage efforts. “Considering that the vessel weighs 999 tonnes (as compared to MV Wisdom which weighed 9,000 tonnes), and there is high tide, so we should not have much trouble with the salvage operations,” said Agnihotri.

The Panama-flagged vessel, MT Pavit, was abandoned off the Oman coast on June 29, after crew members received reports of water ingression and technical snags in the vessel.

Following reports of oil spill from MV Rak, the Coast Guard, however, ruled out the possibility of an oil leak from MT Pavit.