IANS reported that Paradip Port in Orissa has decided to float a global tender to pump the stored oil out of a Mongolian ship that sank off its coast Sep 9.

Mr Biplab Kumar deputy chairman of Paradip Port said that “We have decided to float a global tender to pump out oil from the sunken ship. Since in India there are few companies having scientific expertise in pumping out oil from a sunken ship, we have decided to float the tender.”

He said that the port authorities have already started the process for floating the tender.

The vessel MV Black Rose, carrying about 25,000 tonnes of iron ore fines and 900 tonnes of oil, capsized in Bay of Bengal, five km off the Paradip coast.

Earlier this week, the port started a clean up drive along its coast to contain oil leakage from the sunken ship. Mr Kumar said that “We are trying to contain the possible oil spillage from the vessel.”

The site where the vessel capsized is very close to the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary, one of the few remaining nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles in the world. The turtles come to the site every year around this month for breeding.

(Sourced from IANS)