MV Desh Shanti, the merchant tanker which was detained for 26 days at Bandar Abbas in Iran on a charge of causing pollution, arrived at Visakhapatnam port on Wednesday morning in the early hours, according to port sources.
The crude carrier belonging to Shipping Corporation of India has brought 1,40,000 tonnes of crude from Iraq, part of which is to be delivered to Hindustan Petroleum Corporation’s Visakha refinery here. The vessel was released on September 6 following diplomatic negotiations.
'The ship anchored at Visakhapatnam Port at 8 a.m. and we found the morale of the Captain and the crew high. They are all in good health and in high spirits even after the ordeal,” said Capt. Sunil Thapar, the Director (Bulk Carrier & Tanker Division) of the SCI.
He arrived here from Mumbai to meet the crew. He thanked the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Shipping and other Central agencies for their role in getting the ship released. He said the vessel, m.t. Desh Shanti, had not caused any marine pollution off Iran coast.
The Iranians had alleged that the tanker had caused oily ballast water, 48 km away from Lavan Island in the Persian Gulf. This subsequently led to a 16-km-long oil stain, an Iranian official was quoted as saying after detention of the vessel.
HPCL Executive Director, V.V.R Narasimham, said, “We are happy that the tanker has reached its destination safely. A major portion of the crude is meant for our refinery and the rest for others.”
The agents for SCI – Pattabhi Ramayya of Garuda Pattabhi Ramayya & Co. – said the tanker would anchor at Visakhapatnam Port for a few days till the discharge of the cargo for the HPCL refinery.