Kolkata: SMIT Salvage team, which has been carrying out its salvage operation in the fire-hit cargo ship: MV SSL Kolkata in the Sundarban delta of the Bay of Bengal has found that the container vessel has developed a crack around its middle part while remaining at the same position.

However, this has caused the entry of water to the ship leading to a tilt on its right.

On Wednesday Indian Coast Guard (ICG) inspector general (North East Region) Kuldip Singh Sheoran informed that the salvage team on inspection had reported a crack on the vessel’s deck starboard (right) side mid ships. There is ingress of water through the crack and the vessel is slightly tilted to the right side, he said while adding that an aerial assessment of the ICG aircraft Dornier during the day indicated that there was no oil spill from the vessel.

As the salvage team has come to conclusion that MV SSL Kolkata cannot be refloated or towed, the fuel and cargo have to be unloaded in the present situation, Mr Sheoran elaborated. The ICG has ferried four dracone barges to Kolkata from pollution response team West, Mumbai early morning of the day.

These have been handed over to the salvage team at ICG Air Enclave in Kolkata for further transportation to Haldia from where these will be carried by AHTS vessel Lewek Harrier.

Some more dracone barges and other special pollution response equipment from ICG Kakinada are being brought on an ICG ship which is likely to reach Haldia in the evening.

Though the chances of oil spill are very less as the crack in the vessel is away from the fuel and oil tanks, precautions are being taken and fuel/oil removal from the ship. is on priority to avoid any spillage, Mr Sheoran added.