Nilam-hit oil tanker Pratibha Cauvery, now stationed, on the order of the Madras High Court, about 3 nautical miles south of the Chennai port, needs salvage operations. The Mumbai-based Pratibha Shipping has engaged Smit Salvage of Singapore to carry out the salvage work; the company is well-known for its expertise in salvage operations particularly in the environmentally significant task of oil removal from disaster-hit vessels. The ill-fated stranded vessel is said to have 3.5 tonnes of diesel oil and 357 tonnes of furnace oil. Pratibha Shipping may have to meet the expenses not only of the salvage operations, but also of the hotel bills of the crew of the ship. Again, the company has to pay the compensation to the families of the crew members who lost their lives. An official of the company said that the hull of the ship is insured with New India Assurance and it has also sought the services of a lawyer to argue the case before the Madras High Court. The tanker ran aground off Elliott’s beach with 37 crew members on board and the advice of the Coast Guard to them to stay on board during the cyclone fell ineffective with some 22 sailors including the captain. When they tried to escape by lifeboats, unfortunately, the lifeboats capsized mid-sea ending in tragic death of five sailors.A rescue tug, Malaviya is already at the Chennai port to carry out the salvage operations.
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