Saturday the 1st July 2011 saw the cargo ship Mv Wisdom finally being pulled off the beach at Juhu, and then head towards Alang.
The vessel, which was purchased by a consortium of Indian shipbreakers in Singapore, hired the services of Smit, a 175 year-old international maritime company with offices in Porbandar, Gujarat and Mumbai, for the salvage operation.
After two failed attempts to dislodge the vessel, helicopters had been dropping ropes and other salvage equipment on MV Wisdom for the last couple of days in order to make good use of the high tide on Saturday.
Starting early on Saturday, a team of 30 men employed by GR Engineers, pumped out 500 tonnes of water ingress from the ship's tanks and pumped in compressed air for nearly two hours, to enhance buoyancy of the ship.
Heavy machinery was used to loosen the sand in and around Wisdom Three tugs, hired from a Porbandar-based Vishavakarma Shipping, were put in to action at noon and at 1.11 pm, they managed to pull the vessel into deeper waters.
According to a senior level source in the Directorate General Shipping, the vessel will be kept in the outer waters to the north west of Juhu beach, till the time all the clearances from the coast guard and the government maritime institutions are obtained. It will then be tugged to Alang in Gujarat.
"The major hurdle has been crossed, as no one wanted the vessel to be stranded for another day on the beach," the source added.
Source: Mid Day. By: Shailesh Bhatia. 3 July 2011 / recyclingships.blogspot.com
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