Floating drums are big threat to ships, warns Coast Guard
The floating drums found by the Coast Guard in the sea off Raigad are a big threat and hazard to navigation, and the Union shipping ministry is expected to issue an advisory on Monday.
Coast Guard helicopters sighted these drums, containing 200 litres of naphtha, on August 1 and reported it to headquarters. Last week, two such drums were found off Mumbai’s coast. In all, 12 drums were spotted floating in the sea.
According to Coast Guard officials, the drums may have fallen from a ship, and any vessel colliding with these drums could cause them to explode and cause a fire. Deepak Shetty, Director General (Shipping), said they would be speaking to the National Hydrographic office at Dehradun on Monday and issue a warning to all vessels in the area.
Prima facie, these drums are very old and mostly corroded. Investigations are in progress by both agencies to ascertain their origin. SP (Raigad) Suvez Haque said, “We alerted the coastal police and Sagar Rakshaks to look for more drums. These drums have markings and we are investigating the case.”
Coast Guard helicopters sighted these drums, containing 200 litres of naphtha, on August 1 and reported it to headquarters. Last week, two such drums were found off Mumbai’s coast. In all, 12 drums were spotted floating in the sea.
According to Coast Guard officials, the drums may have fallen from a ship, and any vessel colliding with these drums could cause them to explode and cause a fire. Deepak Shetty, Director General (Shipping), said they would be speaking to the National Hydrographic office at Dehradun on Monday and issue a warning to all vessels in the area.
On August 2, a Coast Guard helicopter reported that some more drums were seen floating close to the Shrivardhan coast. Local police and a team from the Coast Guard station at Murud Janjira swung into action to recover seven more drums.
Prima facie, these drums are very old and mostly corroded. Investigations are in progress by both agencies to ascertain their origin. SP (Raigad) Suvez Haque said, “We alerted the coastal police and Sagar Rakshaks to look for more drums. These drums have markings and we are investigating the case.”
