Cargo ship to remain stuck off Karachi coast until Aug 15: SAPM

KARACHI: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Maritime Affairs Mehmood Moulvi revealed on Monday that the vessel stuck at Karachi’s beach will not be able to move before August 15, ARY News reported.

Talking to the media along with Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi, Moulvi said that the shipping company has been asked to remove oil from the cargo ship first.

Replying to a question about a halt in rescue work, the SAPM said that the port remained closed during the Eid holidays due to which the work was halted.

The shipowner had contacted special salvage tugs and equipment to pull the vessel stuck at the city’s beach out of the area.

The salvage tugs and equipment called from the UAE by the shipowner company reached the port city on Monday.

The salvage tugs will try to pull the vessel out of the beach in collaboration with the Karachi Port Trust (KPT).

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The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) and the port authority monitoring the situation and available for any operational and tactical assistance to the vessel it might need in Pakistani waters.

It is pertinent to mention here that the cargo vessel (MV) Heng Tong 77 ran aground and stuck at Karachi beach near Seaview in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The 98 metres in length and 20 metres wide ship, with a capacity of 3,600 dead weight tonnage, said to be waiting for a crew change outside the Karachi harbour while on its way to Turkey from China when a sea storm caused it to lose its anchors and start drifting towards the shore.