Date:23/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/23/stories/2008032354900900.htm

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Ship hits jetty, stuck up

Kolkata: A Panama flag vessel — C.S. Signe — coming from Colombo, hit a jetty at Hooghly point at Nurpur, about 60 km from here on Saturday, causing considerable damage to it before getting stuck up in the mud with 20 crew-members on board.

The cellular container vessel lost control over steering and strayed towards the jetty before hitting it, a Kolkata Port Trust spokesman told PTI.

The vessel was carrying 6,370 tonnes of containerised cargo from Sri Lanka to Kolkata.

Crew safe

The crew-members — 17 Indians, two Ukrainians and a Bangladeshi — were all safe in the vessel.

Tugs were rushed from the Kolkata port to rescue the vessel. “In spite of the best efforts by the crew-members, the vessel strayed towards the jetty after the steering failed to function,” he said.

The tugs would be able to pull the vessel away only during high tide at about midnight , the spokesman said. — PTI