Kerala govt. bans fishing within 20-nautical mile radius of shipwreck, announces compensation for fishers
The State would give 6 kg of free rice and ₹1,000 a month to each affected fisher families in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.
At a press conference, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan quashed speculation that fish caught off the coast of Kerala was inedible. He said the shipwreck happened 14.6 miles off the Thottapally Spillway in the Alappuzha district. He said the containers carrying the highly flammable calcium carbide, stowed away in the ship's cargo hold, remained submerged and posed no immediate threat.
A maritime emergency vessel had set sail from Puducherry for the shipwreck site. The experts on board would use the latest underwater surveillance technology to map the wreck geospatially and designate the marine location using anchored floats. They would also use floating booms to contain any oil spill from the vessel.
He said the salvage operation would focus on draining the Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) stored in the ship's double hull expeditiously to prevent spillage. After the monsoons, the company would remove the wreck from Kerala's jurisdictional waters.
Mr. Vijayan said the ship also transported fruits, rubber, wooden beams, compounds, small plastic pellets (nurdles) and textiles. He warned fishers against salvaging any floating detritus from the wreck. He asked them to report it to the authorities instead.
Cleaning operations
Mr. Vijayan said piles of microplastics from the capsized ship had run ashore—contaminating the Thiruvananthapuram's shoreline. The government had initiated cleaning operations.
Enumerating loss
The Chief Minister stated that he had spoken to the Director General of Shipping, who agreed to spare the services of Deputy Nautical Officer Captain Ashok Joseph, a Keralite, to assist the State in enumerating the loss, including environmental damage and lost working days for fishers, caused by the shipwreck. He said Captain Joseph would work with the State government to collect evidence to claim damages from the shipping company under maritime laws. Mr. Vijayan said the shipwreck had also significantly impacted Kerala's beach and backwater tourism sectors.
The Protection and Indemnity Insurance Agency has opened a special desk for processing shipwreck-related claims in Kochi. He said Captain Joseph was the nodal officer and had experience working with other State governments to file maritime compensation claims.
Mr. Vijayan said the government would hand over 54 containers which washed ashore in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alappuzha districts to the Customs department.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) had initiated aerial drone surveys to scan the State's beaches for shipwreck detritus. Hundreds of volunteers were working to clean the beaches of microplastics from the shipwreck.
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