Barge disaster: Chief engineer ignores hurricane warning

I saw death face to face , but it was by God's grace that life was restored; Rahman Sheikh

Mumbai: Rahman Sheikh, the chief engineer, said that everyone on the barge P305 could have been rescued – if many of the life rafts had no holes if the captain had taken the hurricane warning seriously  Rahman who survived barge sunk in a hurricane tauktae, is being treated at the apollo hospital.

we received the cyclone warning a week before it hit, Rahman the chief engineer, told. Many other vessels in the vicinity left. I told the captain, Balwinder Singh, that we must also leave for the harbor.

Shaikh added: “But he told me that winds were not expected to be over 40kmph and the cyclone would cross Mumbai in one or two hours. But in reality, the wind speed was more than100 kmph. Five of our anchors broke. They couldn’t withstand the cyclone.

Shaikh also said that several of the life rafts that they were going to use were punctured. ” There was a miscalculation on the captain’s behalf-and also the company, he told.

Three barges and an equal number of ships had gone adrift under the impact of the cyclone on Monday, The Tribune reported. All the others apart from P-305 are safe.

It has been four days since the tragedy. Many barges were towed ashore when they were warned of a hurricane. The first question that arises about the papa 305 barges is why it was not done. Without propellers, barges can’t be controlled if the anchors break. It was to be anticipated such a catastrophe would occur if the rig was hit. But it is reasonable to argue that changes in the direction of the hurricane led to disaster.

It may take days to lift the anchors of the barges, so they may be left helpless at the last minute.. Congress alleged that the ONGC and the Union Petroleum Minister couldn’t evade the responsibility of the minister. The NCP also came out with criticism. Apart from the central government-appointed probe team, Mumbai police have also launched an investigation

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