As maritime accidents increase, Coast Guard poised to get 2 new pollution-control vessels
Amid a rise in maritime accidents in Indian waters, the
Indian Coast Guard
is set to get two additional vessels to combat onboard fires and oil spills. Goa Shipyard Limited launched a 114-metre-long pollution-control vessel, Samudra Prachet, for the Coast Guard on Wednesday, at its shipyard at Vasco.
The indigenously designed pollution-control vessel is the second of the two that the Coast Guard ordered from the defence public sector undertaking. Samudra Prachet follows Samudra Pratap, which was launched in Aug last year, and GSL will deliver the two ships to the Coast Guard in the coming quarters.
Director general of the Coast Guard, Paramesh Sivamani, emphasised the strategic importance of advanced pollution-control vessels in strengthening India's capacity to protect the coastal environment and respond to pollution emergencies.
Sivamani said that pollution-control vessels play a 'pivotal role' in safeguarding India's marine ecosystems.
Incidents in the maritime sector involving Indian seafarers and foreign vessels in Indian waters rose by 21% in 2024 to 186, said India's shipping regulator, directorate general of shipping, in its Maritime Safety Investigation Report 2024. An upward trend was observed in total collision incidents, rising from five in 2023 to 10 in 2024.
The recent fire onboard MV Wan Hai 503, which started with explosions when the ship was some 44 nautical miles off Kerala on June 9, illustrates the potential danger aboard cargo ships.
GSL chairman and MD, Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay, said that 72% of the machinery and raw material used to build the two pollution-control vessels is indigenous. The 4,170-tonne vessel will be operated by 14 officers and 115 sailors. It is equipped with two side-sweeping arms capable of collecting oil spills while under way, as well as a modern radar system for detecting oil slicks.
The vessel is engineered to recover oil, pump in contaminated water, analyse and separate pollutants, and store recovered oil in dedicated onboard tanks. A day earlier, Sivamani's wife, Priya, inaugurated the Coast Guard Kindergarten School at Chicolna, Vasco. The school will also cater to locals.
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