Operation to pump out naphtha from stranded ship now on Oct 31

The operation to unload 2,600 tonnes of naphtha from a cargo ship that ran aground some 2.5 nautical miles off the Goa coast will begin from Thursday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday. The unmanned 3,000-tonne tanker, which was anchored off Mormugao Port Trust harbor, drifted towards Raj Bhavan at Dona Paula near here on October 24.

It also contains 50 tonnes of heavy oil and 19 tonnes of diesel. After reviewing a meeting on the tanker here, Sawant said, "The operation to pump out naphtha will begin on Thursday. It may take around four days. The naphtha will be off-loaded to two barges, and then the tanker will be towed away." Sawant informed that a high-power pump for the operation had reached Mormugao Port and a military helicopter will be used to place it on the vessel.

Salvage operations to remove naptha from the tanker on Monday and Tuesday, involving two teams on a tug with 600 meters of oil containment boom reels, failed due to undercurrents, an official said.