Chennai:
A crew member of ship Pratibha Cauvery,
which ran aground 3.7 nautical miles south of Chennai Port near Adyar Creek on
Wednesday, died and the fate of five others is uncertain when they tried to reach ashore using lifeboats just
prior to Cyclone Nilam striking the Chennai coast.
The
ship, which came to Chennai Port on September 28th from Kolkata, was
anchored outside the port after it discharged light diesel oil, port officials
said. On 29th the ship left for Mumbai and on October 8, it returned
to Chennai and was anchored outside the port. It was on Wednesday, when wind
velocity of nearly 80kmph hit the vessel, it dragged its anchor and ran aground
around 2.21 pm. It had no cargo and weighs 29,000 DWT (dead weight Tonnage)
With
the fear of Cyclone Nilam, which was expected to hit the Chennai Coast in the
evening, 22 of the 37-member crew stranded in the ship tried to escape using lifeboat.
However due to the rough seas they could not reach ashore. Indian Navy,
Coastguard and Mercantile Marine Department launched a rescue operation. Sixteen of the crew were rescued of which nearly seven to eight have been rescued by
the Indian Navy, a Indian Navy official overseeing the search and rescue
operations said. however, Fortis Malar Hospital sources said 17 peop1e were brought to hosp1ital of which one person was brought dead. Search is still on for those who are still missing.
Deputy
Conservator of Chennai Port Trust M K Sinha said the crew lacked basic
knowledge and did not know that at the time of bad weather, staying in the ship
is best to weather the storm. The 15-crew members who stayed back are safe and
sound in the ship.
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