Vessel tilts due to water ingress; Coast Guard, cops step in to save it

“The ship MV QING, owned by Sahara India company, was berthed at Western India Shipyard for the last two years as it was awaiting repair and conversion into a floating hotel,” ship agent Sunil Prabhu said on Wednesday.

The ship began tilting on Tuesday night, after water ingressed into it due to continuous rain in the state, he said.

The shipyard officials along with those of Indian Coast Guard, police, district administration and Mormugao Port Trust have begun attempts to save the vessel from capsizing. Prabhu said the ship was awaiting repairs since last two years as Western India Shipyard, which had bagged the work contract has run into crisis.

“We were about to shift the ship to some other shipyard for repairs and conversion into a floating hotel after this monsoon,” he said. 

The vessel was used as a cruise before it was acquired by Sahara India, he added. Coast Guard DIG Manoj Badkar said the ship was docked at Western India Shipyard Limited since 2014. “I believe that it was brought for some repairs which never started and since last evening the ship started reporting water ingress and now it is tilting.

“Today morning we were very worried because we suspected that the ship may roll over starboard side and may damage the other huge floating dock of WISL. We have been observing the situation and as there is no crew onboard we are little relaxed,” he said.