Kolkata : The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP) in Kolkata has made it clear that it cannot grant clearance to the 15-member crew of Bangladeshi ship MV MARINTRUST – 01 to leave the city unless issues concerning its salvage are settled.
The ship capsized at Berth-5 of Netaji Subhas Dock (NSD) after loading containers for the Chattogram port in Bangladesh on March 24 this year. It has been over a month now but no serious attempt has been made by the owner of the vessel to salvage it.
SMP maintains that it has been losing revenue of nearly Rs 40 lakh per day as Berth-5 of NSD is blocked. The total loss suffered by the port would amount to nearly Rs 15 crore till date.
The crew members of MV MARINTRUST, who are now comfortably accommodated at the Marine Club in Kolkata, have appealed to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in the city, seeking repatriation. Authorities from the Deputy High Commission met senior SMP officials and were told why the crew members can’t leave the city right now.
“Owners of the vessel had appointed a salvor not recognised by either H&M Insurance or P&I Insurance. Now, the owners have declared the vessel abandoned in sunken condition. Now that the owners have declared the vessel abandoned, SMP or the P&I Club will have to take responsibility for its re-flotation and restoration of the Berth. Once the ship is re-floated, it will also have to be serviced. People will also have to be appointed for watch keeping,” a senior SMP official said.
H&M Insurance hasn’t declared the MV MARINTRUST a total loss, so the owners aren’t absolved of their responsibility to salvage the ship, port officials said.
The crew members are aware of the workings of the vessel and their presence will be required once the salvage operations start, the officials added.
The Bangladeshi ship listed over and sank shortly after containers were loaded on to it. SMP has made it clear that the port is just a facilitator, and can’t take responsibility of any vessel once it is loaded.
–IANS