Unloading naphtha from stranded tanker to begin on Mon: Goa CM

Unloading 2,000 tonnes of naphtha from a tanker that ran aground near the Raj Bhavan coast in Goa on October 25 will begin from Monday, chief minister Pramod Sawant said. He said earlier attempts to transfer naphtha from the tanker, after which it can be towed away to safety, were unsuccessful as a hydraulic pump used in the effort fell into the sea.

"We have taken all the precautions. I have been holding review meetings with the Mormugao Port Trust," he said, adding that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was personally monitoring the situation created by the stranded tanker. The tanker, with 50 tonnes of heavy oil and 19 tonnes of diesel besides naphtha, was anchored at Mormugao Port before it began to drift on October 24 due to cyclonic winds.