Salvage team begins pumping out water from capsized ship

Mangalore, Sep 10 (UNI) The process of pumping out water from the stranded Chinese ship 'Cheng Le Men' is in progress today, with a salvage team working on it.

Old Mangalore Port official Mohan Kudri told UNI here that an additional six-member expert team from Holland-based Svitzer Salvage International company arrived here last evening to assist in the salvage operation. Both the expert teams were working on pumping out water from the ship. The ship was stable and safe, he added.

He said the salvage teams also held discussions with the authorities and briefed about the progress made after entering the ship yesterday.

The experts said the work on emptying water from the ship would take two days.

They said shifting of the 16,000 tonnes of iron ore fines from the ship to barge and reloading it was the best way out to salvage the ship.

Mr Kudri said a tug with required equipment from Mumbai was expected at the port in two days.

''There is nothing to worry as the ship is now in a better position,'' he added.

The Chinese merchant ship, loaded with iron ore fines meant for China, developed technical snag after leaving the New Mangalore Port on Thursday last and started tilting on its side about seven nautical miles from the port near Tannirbavi. Realising the trouble, the Captain of the ship had 'beached' the ship on Friday last, with the ship tilting at 16 degrees.

On the same place, an Eritrean Ship 'Den Den' had sunk on June 23.

UNI