Operations have been initiated to salvage a ship that sank of the south of Penang island and it is reported that the salvage operation can be completed with 14 days.
What happened?
On July 26, the vessel ‘Xin Yi Yi’ loaded with 30 tonnes of live fish struck the remains of a shipwreck ‘Kapal Simen’ when it was enroute from Hong Kong. due to the impact of collision, the vessel sank in the shallow waters. The vessel was lying on its side and was visible above the surface. The five crew members onboard the vessel were saved by local fishermen.
Vessel to be salvaged
On August 24, the operations to salvage the vessel have been initiated and it is estimated to take around two weeks to complete the salvage operations. The salvaging cost is estimated to run upto RM1mil.
When the vessel sank, it released thousands of litres of motor gas oil, refined ship fuel, and engine oil into the sea.
However, the Marine Department confirmed that the motor gas oil had evaporated under the sun and there was no pollution.
The ship’s local agent, S. Elumalai, said: “The owners believed it could be salvaged within two weeks. The contractors conducted a preliminary survey and are confident it can be done in 14 days. The major equipment, including a vessel to tow Xin Yi Yi away after it had been righted, would be brought to the site”.
Concerns of pollution
Along with barges and cranes, the ship owner has been directed by the Marine Department to furnish a bank guarantee of RM1.5mil to cover clean-up costs if the salvaging works were to cause further pollution.
The waters around the site was cordoned off to prevent onlookers from getting too near the salvaging operations.
Northern Region Marine Department director Capt Abdul Samad Shaik Osman said his team would be keeping a close eye on bringing up the 40-tonne ship.
State Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said, “We were not informed of the salvaging operations. Although the Marine Department approved the works, we should also be informed. What if there is another oil spill when they are bringing it to the surface?”.
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Source: The Star
