Juhu beach losing sand because of MT Pavit

Mumbai’s latest unwelcome maritime visitor, MT Pavit, could cause severe erosion of the iconic Juhu beach if it is not towed away soon, warn marine science experts.

It might be recalled that the unmanned MT Pavit was found grounded near Mumbai’s Juhu-Versova beach early on July 30.

The Panama-flagged oil tanker had been abandoned off Oman’s Ras al Madrakah peninsula one month ago, on June 30.

Initially, like MV Wisdom, MT Pavit too was grounded almost perpendicular to the beach. It has since shifted due to heavy tidal movement, and it is now at an angle to the shore, making salvage operations that much more difficult. With sand below the ship slipping because of the current, salvaging the vessel becomes difficult with every passing day.

Marine scientist Sarang Kulkarni explains how the angle at which the ship is grounded would accelerate the erosion of Juhu beach. “Its tilt and angle of grounding actually help each wave work like a hook, affecting both deposition and erosion of sand. This puts a question mark on the very survival of the beach.” Kulkarni points out how “Goa’s magnificent Aguada beach has been reduced to a sliver of sand by similar phenomena caused by the grounding of MV River Princess.”

National Institute of Oceanography director Dr Satish Shetye says, “There may be no immediate pollution concerns from MT Pavit, but the longer she remains grounded, the deeper the impact on the beach.” Interestingly, he differs from Dr Kulkarni about the impact of the angle of grounding. “The only saving grace is the fact that this vessel is not parallel as that would have led to more erosion.”

It will be recalled that MV River Princess ran aground off the Goan coastline in 2000. After a sandbar formed between the ship and shore, the beach began to erode rapidly, at the rate of nearly 10m per year. “The River Princess has destroyed a large section of the beach, from Candolim to Sinquerim, eroding the surrounding land mass,” admits R Mihir Vardan, Collector North Goa. “In a state where tourism is a lifeline, this is nothing short of a catastrophe.”  

A senior maritime board official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the topography of the spot where MT Pavit is stuck makes it treacherous. “We should hurry with the tugging operations for MT Pavit as each wave hammers the vessel increasingly firmly in place.” 

A senior official in the directorate of shipping admitted that these repeated ship groundings have led to many red faces in the establishment. “The city receives more than 60% of the crude oil coming into the country. But these recurring incidents show how such huge vessels become visible only when they almost reach city roads,” he said, and wondered why no lessons were learnt from 1997 when another cargo ship, Zheng Dong, ran aground near Carter Road and had to finally be broken down at the spot when all efforts to salvage it failed. 

Senior port authorities admit that the debris of MV Rak Carrier could be dangerous to other vessels plying in that busy shipping lane. “The Mumbai Port and the National Hydrographic Officer, Dehrahun, have been advised to issue navigational warning so that mariners are warned in advance,” said an official. “We need to take exemplary action and make examples of the owners. Otherwise more and more ships which are plying long past their use by date will be sent to our waters to drown.”

When asked to comment on the insurance racket speculations doing the rounds he just smiled. “This is perhaps the worst kept secret. Everybody is in on the game,” was all he was willing to say.