Mangalore: Rescue Team from Holland to Revive Sinking Chang Le Men
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA) - pics - Dayanand Kukkaje
Mangalore, Sep 7: Speaking at a press conference here on Friday September 7 afternoon at NMPT guest house at Tannirbavi, district-in-charge minister B Nagaraj Shetty said that an expert team 'Switzer' from Holland is likely to come to the city on September 7 evening to help Coast Guards and NMPT to revive the sinking Chinese ship Chang Le Men.
As reported earlier St Vincent island registered Chinese ship Chang Le Men is caught in the sea near Tannirbavi here from Thursday September 6 afternoon. After all efforts either to revive the ship or draw the ship to the deep failed, the Coast Guards and NMPT had almost given up rescue operations. Since the captain and the crew of the ship cannot abandon ship owing to technical problems, there is no way other than reviving the ship.
Though a fairly calm sea and good weather had been cooperative with the rescue team on Thursday, continuous rains coupled with heavy wind has caused panic both to those who are in the ship and who are out on the shore watching the rescue operation. Though a coast guard helicopter from Goa had arrived in the morning, owing to certain snags, it had to return.
It was later decided to ask the help of experts in this matter. Though the captain said that they are ready to unload the iron ore from the ship, NMPT does not have adequate facility to do so. Moreover owing to the technical problem, crew can come out of the ship only after September 15.
Nagaraj Shetty further said that though the ship had tilted about 12 degrees on its axis on Thursday, right now it is almost 16 degrees tilted. "But it is safe as long as it does not tilt 30 degrees on its axis," he added.
Meanwhile people are thronging in big numbers to the tragedy spot which incidentally has already engulfed 2 ships excluding Chang Le Men in the last 10 years. It was only a couple of months ago that Eritrean freighter DenDen had capsized on the same spot killing 3 persons.
Chang Le Men Rescue Operation - Helicopter Arrives from Goa
Inputs - Nina Rai - pics - Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (GA)
Mangalore, Sep 7: While efforts to revive Chang Le Men ship have gone in vain, helicopter from Goa arrived to help Coastal Guards to rescue the trapped crew members. The Goan helicopters have just reached the spot and are taking stock of things.
These columns have been reporting the incident live since Thursday September 6 afternoon. The Daiji team was there to get a first hand account of the sinking of the Chinese ship ‘Chang Le Men’ which when last seen was down to its last gasping breath. In fact it was just a few minutes away from getting completely submerged into the sea, as the water gushed inside the ship.
To give a brief recap, the Chinese boat "Chang Le Men' left the Mangalore port on the ill-fateful Thursday, of September 6, around 11 am completely stocked with iron ores. When sailing just a few kilometers away into the deep sea, it started tilting sideways as it probably could not bear the load of its merchandise and by 4 pm was almost tilting to about 30 degrees on its axis.
However, eyewitnesses standing at the Tannirbavi beach quoting official sources told Daijiworld very optimistically that this time around there was no possibility of the ship sinking (like the earlier DenDen ship which had sunk in the same waters) along with the 28 crew members and captain who were inside the ship, as there was the possibility of huge winds and turbulent waves pounding against the ship and setting its balance right. But unfortunately that did not happen at all.
As the people on the beach stood there watching in dismay along with the battery of reporters and cameramen, the ship started sinking slowly. Official sources also said that they had given up any hope of saving the ship. Even the Coast Guard and NMPT personnel lost hopes of saving the ship. Hence, their main priority now is to save the crew of the ship. Moreover reportedly it was known from official sources that the engine of the ship has been badly damaged.
In fact the last time when the ship was seen, the crew had switched on the generator which had lit up the entire ship in a brilliant glow of light, making the scene almost surreal against the deep blue sea against the backdrop of the dark cool, night horizon. Slowly even the generator was shut down plunging the ship in darkness and the only thing left to be done was for the crew to give up the ship and swim to safety.
But as reported earlier, as per the International Maritime rules, the captain and crew cannot abandon the vessel until such time that all hopes of reviving it are given up. The captain and the crew from Chang Le Men sent the same message to Coastal Guards when they were offered help. Latest reports reaching Daijiworld have informed that helicopters have been summoned from Goa to aide rescue operations.
That was the last vision reported of the ill-fated ship and its crew before the reporters left to trek back wearily to their destination, sad and dismayed at the remarkable co-incidence of two ships sinking on the same coast barely a few kilometers away from each other within a span of few days…..However on all lips there is a prayer and a hope that unlike last time this time around, there will be no casualty.