THE 917-TEU Tiger Spring, after its collision with the 1,095-TEU Green Valley in the Hooghly River in West Bengal south of Kolkata now poses a threat to other ships using the shipping channel as it awaits Dutch salvagers to arrive from Rotterdam.

"The vessel is now grounded beside the navigational channel and there is a possibility that the ship may slide back into the channel, hitting ship movement. It will cause a huge loss to port business," said a senior official of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT).

The Gibraltar-registered Tiger Spring, was grounded on the sandbar besides the channel in the South 24 Parganas district after the collision on November 23, reports the Intra-Asia News Service.

The Colombo-bound vessel was manoeuvring through the Rangaphala navigational channel when it was hit by Bahamas-flagged, 1,095-TEU Green Valley, where the Hooghly and the Rupnarayan rivers meet at Nurpur.

Experts from the Rotterdam salvage firm of Smit-Llyod, engaged by the owners, say they can carry out welding to repair damage if the ship is lifted from where it has settled in the sand. This can be done by removing containers, explained KoPT officials.

"If they are removed in a haphazard manner, there is every possibility of the vessel losing balance. We are waiting for a large crane to unload the containers," said Arun Kumar Bagchi, director of KoPT's marine department.

"It would take about 10 days for a large crane to reach the spot. Till then, we are trying to remove containers with the help of a small floating crane," Mr Bagchi told IANS.

Salvagers face strong currents at Hooghly Point, which makes anchoring of lighters difficult. The Colombo-bound Tiger Spring's containers must be removed before the ship can make port, say experts, who add that the deck crane can be used to unload the ship.
(Source:www.schednet.com)