"The Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) will be positioned in the Mumbai harbour for monsoon season, the process of hiring is on...If we consider our previous experience, it is needed here," Director General of Shipping S B Agnihotri said.
He said while ETV will be positioned in Mumbai for now, ETV services would be hired for other ports in future.
The ETV in Mumbai harbour would be used elsewhere along the western coast too, if the need be.
Two merchant vessels -- MV Wisdom and MT Pavit -- had drifted to Juhu beach here last year. In the previous year there was a collision between MV Khalijia III and MSC Chitra and at the time the officials had felt the need for a towing vessel. A stand-by tug, Garware IV of the Mumbai Port Trust, was used to tow away MV Khalijia then.