MV Black Rose off the Paradip coast. Telegraph picture

Paradip, April 7: The ground work to salvage sunken Mongolian ship — MV Black Rose — was set in motion today, a year-and-half after the ill-fated vessel sank off Paradip coast triggering oil spill and endangering marine lives.

Earlier, the high court had issued directions to the government to salvage the ship from mid-sea and take possession of the wreck.

A team of experts from the director-general of shipping, Mumbai, today inspected the wreckage site. Later the experts’ team held discussion with officials of Jagatsinghpur district administration, Paradip Port Trust (PPT) and state pollution control board to work out a plan to salvage the wreckage.

“On the high court directives, we had sought for the services of experts for expeditious dismantling of the sunken ship. A two-member team from the director-general of shipping has suggested ways and means for the salvage operation. The status report on the basis of the findings by the experts’ team would be submitted to the Orissa High Court shortly,” Narayan Chandra Jena, Jagatsinghpur collector, told The Telegraph.

He refused to elaborate further, stating that the matter is under judicial scrutiny. Incidentally, the Jagatsinghpur district collector, being directed by the high court, is heading an environmental coordination committee for the hassle-free dismantling and salvage of the sunken ship.

“Paying regard to high court order, the process and course of action to salvage the ship wreckage has been initiated. The administration had taken up the matter with the director-general of shipping. We had requested them to depute a team of experts at the earliest so that sunken ship is dismantled and cleared off the coast expeditiously. A request was also made to the union-shipping ministry for sanction of funds for the salvage operation under the provisions of Merchant Shipping Act, 1958, Merchant Shipping (Wrecks and Salvage) Rules, 1974,” said Jena.

As MV Black Rose was not retrieved for 18 months, there were fears of sea erosion following artificial buffer to the sea water’s natural movement. Besides it had become a cause of obstruction for smooth movement of ships and vessels to the Paradip port. Earlier, responding to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), the Orissa High Court had directed the district magistrate of Jagatsinghpur to go ahead with the salvage operation of the condemned ship from mid-sea and take possession of the wreck.

On September 8, 2009, the Mongolian ship carrying 23,847 tonne of iron ore fines and 920 tonne furnace oil sank off the Paradip coast when it developed a hole in its oil tank.

The sunken ship had triggered an oil spill, endangering marine aquatic lives. However the stored furnace oil in the sunken ship was not crude in nature. It was extracted on time, thereby staving off a major marine ecological disaster. But the port authorities had to cough a whopping Rs 17.5 crore to pump out the oil.

“Logistic support has also been sought from the PPT, coast guard, Paradip, and the department of environment. A committee has been constituted to oversee and monitor the salvage operation,” said Jena.

Conservationists had expressed fear that allowing the wreck to get stranded mid-sea could lead to disastrous consequences for the nearby beaches even though the oil had been extracted.