'Blue Lady' beaches for shipbreaking at Alang

Norwegian cruiseliner the 'Blue Lady' today beached for dismantling at the Alang shipbreaking yard in Bhavnagar after recently getting the go-ahead from the Supreme Court.

The beaching was permitted after the cruiseliner, also known as the S S Norway, underwent a thorough inspection by a team of experts appointed by the apex court last week after environmentalists said that it contained tonnes of harmful asbestos.

Confirming that the cruiseliner had beached at Alang, port officer Anil Rathore told PTI: "The Blue Lady has beached today in plot No V1 after completing all formalities required. It should be ready for dismantling in a month's time."

Blue lady, that stands 315 metres tall and is almost 11 storeyed, got a green signal to beach on July 15 after the Supreme Court-appointed committee inspected it for five days and submitted a report to it.

The team comprised 15 members of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) and Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB).

On entering Indian seas on July 10 it was docked at Pipavav port in Kutch district till clearance from the experts committee.

The cruiseliner made its way into Alang after it was turned away from the Bangladesh shipbreaking yard following protest by environmentalists who complained that it contained toxic asbestos that could harm the numerous workers involved in shipbreaking.