Now Reading: Bombay HC orders urgent LPG discharge from vessel with safety defects
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Bombay HC orders urgent LPG discharge from vessel with safety defects
The Bombay High Court has ordered the urgent discharge of 1,880.26 metric tonnes of LPG from the vessel LPG Amir Gas at Jaigarh Port in Ratnagiri, citing serious safety defects that could…
The Story in Brief
The Bombay High Court has ordered the urgent discharge of 1,880.26 metric tonnes of LPG from the vessel LPG Amir Gas at Jaigarh Port in Ratnagiri, citing serious safety defects that could lead to an explosion within a 5-10 km radius. Justice Abhay Ahuja passed the order on an interim application by JSW Jaigarh Port Ltd, after a Directorate General of Shipping inspection on August 5 found the main cargo cooling pump, water sprinkler firefighting system and inert gas system non-functional, and the vessel's insurance expired.
The court ruled that any party depositing security of AED 34,78,481 could take the cargo. The plaintiff agreed to deposit the amount, and was permitted to proceed. The court also directed disaster management authorities to plan for safe discharge even if no security is deposited, and ordered the vessel owner to provide food and water to the crew and obtain insurance within a week. The vessel remains under arrest.
The Indian Opinion
The court's intervention is welcome, but the story points to a deeper problem: how did an LPG carrier with expired insurance and failed cooling and fire systems anchor off Ratnagiri in the first place? The narrative of the heroic port and diligent court jumping in only after a disaster warning is a familiar one. The real test now is whether DG Shipping will release its inspection report publicly and whether any port or coastal regulator faces action for letting this risk sit for months.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
