To pay state govt Rs 81 lakh; Ship not to be broken up By Reuven Proenca
PANAJI: The state government has finalized its plans to salvage the ill-fated River Princess with a UK-based company being awarded the contract after it submitted the winning bid, though Tourism Department officials refused to divulge any information. According to reliable sources, the British company Crosschem International Limited (CIL) outbid an Indian company, which was the only competitor, in the race to salvage the ship that ran aground off Candolim in June 2000. It is learnt, however, that the Indian company~Rs bid called for the state government to pay for the salvage process. Interestingly the Dutch salvage company, Smit International, - which has long been associated with efforts to salvage the ship ~V did not take part in the bidding process. CIL, as part of its bid, has offered to pay the state government a sum of Rs 81 lakhs to salvage, refloat and take possession of the ship. The state will not have to shell out any money towards the salvage effort since the ownership of the vessel will pass from the state to the salvagers. It is learnt that the authorities have clearly informed CIL that the ship should not be broken up in Goa and that no waste should be allowed into the water. Apparently, the plan is for CIL to first patch up the holes that had been cut into the hull of the vessel and then efforts would be made to refloat the ship. Sources said that the decision to accept Crosschem as the winning bidder was taken some time ago but the paperwork, finalizing the plans, were delayed due to problems in transferring the funds from the UK to India. However, the Tourism Department is expected to announce the deal in the next few days. When contacted, Tourism Director Elvis Gomes declined to comment on the matter and would only say the process was ~Son track.~T Other senior Tourism officials also remained tightlipped. Meanwhile, it is learnt that CIL has already started taking preliminary steps to prepare for the salvage process. At least four shack owners, whose establishments were located on the beach opposite the grounded vessel, have been asked to move to alternate locations and have been offered compensation to do so. In addition, CIL officials have also contacted local suppliers located along the coastal belt for supplies of food, water, transport and other basic necessities that will be required by their team. The company is also believed to have placed private security guards to protect equipment that has already been stored onboard the ship.
