Bye Bye Wisdom? Not Yet

Unscientific methods to set the MV Wisdom, grounded at Juhu Beach, afloat yield no results; experts claim the issue could be a serious ecological and maritime disaster

Bye Bye Wisdom? Not Yet

Unscientific methods to set the MV Wisdom, grounded at Juhu Beach, afloat yield no results; experts claim the issue could be a serious ecological and maritime disaster

Even as attempts to set afloat MV Wisdom, the 9000-tonne cargo ship stranded at Juhu Beach, by capitalising on Saturday afternoon's high tide failed, the entire incident has called into question the unavailability of infrastructure to undertake the operation, as well as the maritime and environmental security of the Indian
coastline.

Crowds gather to see MV Wisdom that ran aground the Juhu beach on
June 12 pic/NIMESH DAVEu00a0

"Mumbai should be in a state of maritime emergency, but no one is taking the matter seriously enough. Why were tugs being used to pull a huge vessel, which was not even afloat and jammed in the seabed? This is actually making a mockery of a serious situation," thundered Sir Mernosh Shroff, a Marine Chief Engineer, who runs one of the oldest maritime companies on the West Coast, who visited Juhu beach on Saturday afternoon.

"We do not have the infrastructure required to dredge the sand around the vessel and create an artificial corridor, thereby leading it in to deeper waters," admitted an former senior officer of the Indian Navy, on condition of anonymity.

Shroff warns there is a serious danger if the vessel remains on the beach, as it will end up becoming a major hazard if a storm or cyclone hits the Mumbai coastline in the near future.
Options for the government now seem to be limited, since, like shipping stalwart Captain Girish Phadnis said, "The ship must have been cleared to enter the Indian waters, as it was scheduled to anchor at Alang, Gujarat for scrapping. But now that the ship has run aground, the situation has changed. Now it is the direct responsibility of the ship owner to bear all expenses of the salvage operation and ensure that the vessel does not cause any environmental damage to our coastline with its residual fuel."
The agencies that have been entrusted to do the salvage work have not done their homework, adds Shroff. "As per my calculations of the vessel's deadweight and the height of the waves, the chances of MV Wisdom setting sail again are very bleak."
The answer, he believes, lies in cutting her up on the spot. "The superstructure needs to be cut up with a few hundred gas cutters on site. A scientific method needs to be employed, which involves securing the vessel with winches and cutting her up, pulling her forward and securing the beach using methods approved by international agencies like IMO (International Maritime Organisation) like covering the entire beach with specialised oil spill absorbents" he explains.
And the future does not look better. "Situations like this have a tendency to get embroiled in legal issues as salvage operations, which involve experienced mariners with the right kind of expertise, are invariably very costly affairs," explains Phadnis. "We have done similar salvage work before and if the high tides of Saturday afternoon could not budge the vessel, it could be very difficult to move it in the near future," said the former Navy officer.
He also stated that the defense forces of India, including the Navy and the Coast guard, have no jurisdiction on the vessel, as there is no war-like situation and their role can only come in to play if they are called upon by the government, to perform a civil service.
Ships or even fishing trawlers from neighbouring countries will continue to skirt Indian waters because they feel safe from piracy, owing to the presence of the Navy and the Coast Guards, feels Captain Shyam Jairam, Chairman MASSA (Indian Shipowners association). "Our waters constitute 12 miles from the coast. These ships also use our lighthouses for navigation purposes," he said.