Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government Monday said there was no illegality in the transportation of iron ore from Paradip Port by a Panama-flagged bulk carrier that sank off the state’s coast in the Bay of Bengal.
State Steel and Mines and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena made the statement a day after the opposition BJD sought clarification from the state government on whether the transportation of iron ore on the vessel was legal.
“All documents are there regarding the dispatch of minerals. All was legal,” Jena said, adding that an inquiry was underway into the accident involving the vessel, which was carrying 24 crew members.
“The accident took place off the Odisha coast, some 240 kilometres from Paradip. Two crew members have been rescued and are undergoing medical treatment. There is no information about the death of anyone in the incident,” the minister said.
Official sources said the MV Ocean Winner was carrying 72,000 tonnes of iron ore against its cargo-carrying capacity of 73,000 tonnes.
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan Sunday, former BJD minister Pritiranjan Gharai demanded an independent inquiry into the transportation of iron ore fines to China and the circumstances surrounding the vessel’s sinking.
Gharai said the state government must have information about the incident.
“The minerals are the property of the people of Odisha, and therefore we demand to know the value and quantity of the material being carried, who owns it and the destination of the vessel. We also demand an independent and impartial inquiry into the incident,” Gharai said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy continued their rescue and search operations at sea after the cargo vessel sank Saturday.
“Two crew members of the ship have been rescued, and they were identified as Chinese nationals. There is no information about the remaining 22 sailors who were on the ship when it sank,” an official said.
Of the 24 crew members aboard the vessel, 20 were Chinese, three Myanmarese and one Bangladeshi, officials said.