The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) has asked the Gujarat Pollution Control Board to conduct a detailed inspection of a 30-year-old LNG tanker that is suspected to contain hazardous substances and is headed for its final journey towards the Alang shipbreaking yard in Gujarat.
The merchant vessel ‘MV Yeong’, constructed by Hanjin Heavy Industries Co Ltd, South Korea in 1995 is allegedly containing heavy quantities of hazardous Perlite which is used for insulation purposes on the vessel. The tanker is currently at sea on the west coast of India and is expected to reach Alang on February 7 or 8, where it is expected to be broken and recycled.
When asked if any alert has been received regarding the LNG tanker, Rajkumar Beniwal, Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) — the state government agency that monitors and regulates ship-breaking activities at Alang shipbreaking yard in Bhavnagar district — said, “We have asked Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) to inspect the vessel. Once they inspect and give clearance, then only we will allow (the ship to beach for breaking).”
The LNG tanker which was earlier known as “Hanjin Pyeongtaek” and “HI Pyeongtaek” has a 71,000 Dead Weight Tonnage and is sailing under the flag of “Saint Kitts & Nevis”. According to shipbreakers at Alang, the vessel is carrying “3,000 tonnes of perlite,” a claim that could not be independently verified by business line. The last port of call for the vessel was Okpo Anch in South Korea.