Mumbai:
Efforts to salvage cargo vessel M V Wisdom, stuck on the Juhu beach for the past one week, were abandoned for the third day today with officials stating that operations have been hampered for at least a fortnight.
"The salvaging operations have been called off for today and we will have to wait for another fortnight before we can reattempt it," Director General of Shipping, S B Agnihotri, said.
According to officials, they faced operational constraints due to engine trouble in the lead tug which forced them to abandon their efforts till the next spring tide after a fortnight, when attempt to refloat the vessel would be made afresh.
However, there is no fear of any oil or cargo related pollution due to this, they said.
The officials also requested the public to keep clear of the vessel for their own safety and also to allow salvers to retrieve their equipment and function without any hindrance.
The ship, which ran aground last Saturday, has to move by over 40 degrees from its current position for the tugs to start pulling it deeper into the sea. However, the 145 metre cargo vessel did not sufficiently respond to the salvage efforts.
The freighter was being tugged to the Alang ship breaking yard in Gujarat from Colombo when the cable to its tow boat snapped, causing the vessel to go adrift.
Initially, it was feared that it will crash into the Bandra-Worli Sealink, but it drifted northwards to Juhu and ran aground.
As it was being taken to be dismantled, the vessel has no cargo or fuel, reducing the possibility of any immediate threat to the city's marine ecology.