The Coast Guard and Pollution Control Board will supervise efforts to recover a dredger that ran aground off Karaikal coast last month due to Cyclone 'Gaja,' Karaikal district collector R Kesavan said Wednesday.
The dredger 'Veera Prem' is owned by Mumbai-based Mercator Ltd and had been anchored at Karaikal port for the past few months.It holds about 250 tonnes of oil, according to officials.
"The challenge is to recover the dredger without causing any oil spill. So, we have taken guidance from the Indian Coast Guard and the pollution control board," the collector said.
The shipping company has sought the help of a Gujarat based company to recover the dredger.
The collector said the company has been directed to submit a detailed plan before commencing the recovery efforts.
A team from a Gujarat-based company has arrived at Karaikal to recover the dredger which ran aground near TR Pattinam in the district on November 16 due to the cylone.
'Gaja' crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam, about 300 km from Chennai, leaving behind a trail of destruction in Nagapattinam district and also in several other districts and claiming over 60 lives.