Despite two auctions, ghost ship MT Pavit finds no takers

The oil tanker MT Pavit which drifted to Juhu beach more than a year back and has been put up for auction twice in the last six months, is yet to find any takers. This has led its custodian, the Maharashtra Maritime Board, to start the hunt for a potential purchaser yet again. An auction notice regarding the same was published in selected newspapers on January 18.

According to shipping ministry officials, the ship was first put under the hammer more than six months back. “Ideally, junk dealers latch on to such opportunities. They dismantle the ships and sell its parts to collectors and earn decent profits,” said one such official.

Sources in the ministry reveal that the reason for the failure of the auction was the Rs4.75 crore amount that authorities kept as the base amount. Dealers, the sources reveal, are finding this price too much and feel that it is far above its actual worth.

The ship is presently anchored at Dabhol port in Ratnagiri where the maintenance cost is adding to the maritime board’s burdens. The controversial 999-ton tanker had sneaked into Indian waters in July, 2011. The ship was reportedly abandoned by its 13-members crew after it faced problems on the coast of Oman.

The ship, whose route is still unclear to authorities drifted to the Juhu beach and as its owners were not coming forward, the maritime board had to take the effort of salving it at the cost of over Rs4 crore.