The federal government has detained the MV Heng Tong 77, the container ship stranded at Seaview beach, which experts have declared “unseaworthy” and a threat to “human life on ship and property”.
According to the Karachi Port Trust (KPT), the cargo ship coming from Shanghai was on its way to Istanbul, Turkey, and did not completely enter the Karachi Harbour, although it was anchored in Pakistani waters awaiting a crew change.
The rough sea caused the vessel to lose its anchors and it started drifting towards shallow water on July 21.
The ship was already in shallow water by the time the KPT was informed about the situation.The Ministry of Maritime Affairs has now declared the ship “dangerous” for humans and informed in writing the ship’s captain about it.
Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi also shared a “detention notice” for the ship on Twitter.
“Vessel is not sea worthy due to defective hull &nav equip, weak engine, poor life saving/fire fitting equipment. In this current state it poses a threat to our channel + other vessels well,” Zaidi tweeted.
Meanwhile, the port authorities have finalized preparations for rescue of the stranded cargo ship.
The heavy machinery required for the salvage of the merchant ship MV Heng Tong 77 has been standby at the beach, according to sources.
A tug boat and a floating crane has also been prepared for the salvage operation of the cargo ship in the sea.
An attempt made by the rescue teams to salvage the vessel stuck at the beach was failed yesterday.
The port officials said that another attempt will be made on today when the waves in the sea would be high.
The operation will be completed in two phases. In the first phase, the vessel will be towed away in the seawater up to 4 meters in-depth and in the second phase, the vessel will be towed away to the Karachi harbour.
