Plan to refloat ship stranded at Karachi beach delayed again

KARACHI: Authorities involved in removing a stranded cargo ship from Karachi beach on Sunday said that the plan to refloat it has been delayed once again, ARY NEWS reported.

The refloating of the cargo ship will now take place on August 21, they said days after the ship got stuck at the beach and could not be dragged into the deep waters.

The officials said that the ship is currently being tied to a tugboat wire to ensure that it remains in the safe zone.

On August 11, it was reported that the authorities have declared the stranded cargo ship at Karachi beach ‘unseaworthy’ and decided to seize the huge vessel under the regulations of Merchant Ordinance 2001.

The stranded cargo ship, MV Heng Tong 77, has been declared unseaworthy and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs decided to seize the vessel. The captain of the cargo vessel was formally informed regarding the decision.

In its letter, the concerned authorities wrote to the ship’s captain that the navigation and machinery system of the vessel was not working. It added that the unseaworthy cargo ship was dangerous to human lives and assets.

The Pakistan Navy along with other maritime stakeholders had already safely completed the defuelling process of a merchant ship that ran aground at Seaview beach in Karachi.