Shipwreck

Bhagwati Prem, a dredging vessel that was beached at the Surathkal Beach by New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) on October 28 night, remains there itself waiting to be towed away even as the trust says that it has served notice on its owner seeking removal of the vessel.

Port chairman A.V. Ramana told The Hindu that vessel owner, Mercator, has been given a week to inspect the vessel to assess the damage to undertake repairs before towing it away. He has informed the Director General of Shipping too in the matter.

Meanwhile, NMPT has requested a team of Deputy Conservators of Cochin and Mumbai Port Trusts for a report on the condition of the beached dredger, Mr. Ramana said.

These inspections, the chairman said, would be followed by a public notice in newspapers by NMPT before it went ahead with the auction process by a government auctioneer. “Of course, auction would take place if Mercator fails to tow away the dredger,” he said.

Bhagwati Prem that was anchored within NMPT limits after the trust terminated the contract for dredging with Mercator reported issues of water logging during the end of October.

Upon inspection, it was found that the vessel’s hull had been damaged and there was a threat of the vessel getting flooded.

Since the weather was rough and the West Coast was witnessing frequent cyclones, NMPT decided to beach the vessel to prevent its possible sinking, and completed the work on October 28.

Experts from College of Fisheries, Mangaluru, have cautioned that there coudl be irreparable damage to the coastline and environment if the vessel was not towed away immediately. The chances of beach erosion are high, while fishermen in the region would get affected, they had said. The vessel should not be allowed to remain in Surathkal, the experts had said.

Another dredger of Mercator, Tridev Prem, that was also anchored in NMPT limits, sunk on September 2 and is yet to...

An interesting site to visit. Although it's not a tourist attraction but definitely something all adventure lovers would like to see. The ship in itself looks like something out of a ghost movie and if you let your imagination run wild, there is all sorts of stories you can makeup.

FACT: This is dredging ship which was intentionally beached to avoid sinking during stormy weather. Looks like the ship was already in a bad shape before it was beached. Good place for photography and a chance to see a huge ship from up close. Doesn't look like it's going to be around for long, due to the environmental impact it is having, which means it will be scrapped or dragged out to sea (unlikely) soon. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO...

It's a wrecked ship since 2019,it was supposed to be removed but all thanks to COVID which made this place more beautiful 😍 This place is temporarily a tourist attractions from past 5 years which is gonna be removed soon.Removal work happens daily so go as early as possible Also a good spot for sunset...