# Grounded ship to be salvaged...6 years on.!



## rushie (Jul 5, 2005)

From the Goa Herald - 

_The Goa government has awarded the work of removal of the River Princess vessel, grounded off Candolim since June 2000, to a company whose operations are based in Gujarat. 
The beleaguered ship is to be removed within six months from now.
The agreement with M/s Jaisu Shipping was signed on behalf of Goa government by Chief Secretary J P Singh.
As per the agreement, the vessel is to be removed by refloating and towing away and specifically not by breaking it on site. 
The 180 day operation will cost the State exchequer a total of Rs 5.5 crore.
Sources said that work was awarded after the High Court at Bombay vacated the stay granted in the matter following a writ filed by the owners of the ship.
It may be noted that the owners wanted to break the ship at site.
Tenders were invited a long time back and later firms were short-listed after which negotiations were started with the two on technical and financial bids.
This is not the first time, the government has awarded work for removal of the ship. 
After dilly-dallying, the BJP government had engaged CrossChem in December 2004 for removal of the vessel when Matanhy Saldanha was the tourism minister. 
Allaying fears that the then government was not serious in removing the ship, Saldanha had reportedly said he would quit if he failed to refloat and tow away the ship. 
But towards the end of January 2005, the Parrikar government lost power and ultimately, the company failed to remove the ship._ 

Rushie


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## shamrock (May 16, 2009)

The River Princess saga is not over yet, it seems...

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...rincess-may-be-cut-up/articleshow/4892178.cms



> PANAJI: The state disaster management authority is for the first time considering cutting up the stranded River Princess and taking away the
> pieces seawards to prevent damage to the shoreline.
> 
> This second option, to cut the ship and take away the pieces by sea, was floated at a meeting of the state disaster management authority that met on Thursday in the presence of chief minister Digambar Kamat, chief secretary S Srivastava and other officials.
> ...


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