By IMC Correspondent
Bhubanewsar, India: The Fuel Oil stored in the sunken ship M.V. “BLACK ROSE” ,which was sank off on 9th September near Paradipin Orissa, India and posing a serious threat to the environment as well as to the marine species in case of its leakage, was finally pumped out completely from the ship on 15th November, informed Paradip Port Trust (PPT) authority.
According to official sources, after obtaining the approval of Ministry of Shipping, the PPT selected a firm through a global tender and entrusted the work of retrieval of oil to M/s Resolve Marine Group, Florida, USA. The firm later commenced the oil pumping out work on 23.10.2009 and completed it on 15.11.2009. The entire oil, comprising Furance Oil, Diesel Oil and Lube Oil, has been pumped out from the sunken ship. Now there is no oil, whatsoever, left in the ship, added official sources.
Notably, earlier a hue and cry started in the state much after the ship sank near following the environmentalists and marine fauna lovers raised their concern about the safety of the aquatic fauna in the Bay of Bengal as several marine fishes reportedly found dying and washing ashore due to the suspected oil slick in the Bay of Bengal near the sunken Mongolian ship “Black Rose” .
Being panicked about the oncoming possible disaster if the oil spillage occurred from the sunken ship Black Rose ,the fishery department as well as the environmentalists ,state pollution Board sounded an alarm by urging the port authority to pump out the 924 metric tonnes of furnace oil which was stored in the double bottom tank of the sunken ship in a war footing basis to provide a congenial environment for the marine creatures .
The oil retrieval work started lately as the port authority waited for the arrival of the owner of the ship as it was the duty of the owner of the ship to pump out the oil from the sunken ship.
