Desh Shanti, the merchant tanker which was detained for 26 days at Bandar Abbas in Iran on a charge of causing pollution, arrived at the Visakhapatnam port on Wednesday morning, according to port sources.
The crude carrier belonging to the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) arrived with 1,40,000 tonnes of crude from Iraq, part of which is to be delivered to the 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, Director, Bulk Carrier & Tanker Division, 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 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 the detention of the vessel.
V.V.R Narasimham, HPCL Executive Director, 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.”
sarma.rs@thehindu.co.in