New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) Chairman A.V. Ramana announced last week that Mercator Limited, the owner of sunken hopper dredger Tridevi Prem, has agreed to salvage the wreck, The Hindu informs.
As reported earlier, the Tridevi Prem, abandoned by its crew after water ingress, sunk on September 3 within port limits of NMPT.
Indian Coast Guard (ICG) successfully rescued 13 crew members of the TSHD, following flooding in the dredger’s pump room.
According to Indian Coast Guard Karnataka Commander S S Dasila, the dredger was on a contractual agreement with NMPT for ensuring the sufficient depths in this area when the accident occurred.
Chairman A.V. Ramana said that the Joint Director General of Shipping, Chennai, has issued a notice to Mercator to remove the dredger’s wreck. The company would have to appoint an agency for the salvage that needs a lot of planning, favorable weather conditions etc., The Hindu reports.
Over a period of time, the wreck would be salvaged.
He also claimed that there was no oil spill from the vessel as certified by the Coast Guard and Hyderabad-based Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (Incois).