KARACHI, Oct 18: After keeping mum for more than 80 days about the quarters responsible for the Tasman Spirit disaster, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) authorities on Saturday declared that it was the conduct of the master of the ship that led to the grounding of the oil tanker off Karachi coast on July 27.

In a rejoinder to the P&I Club’s statement appearing in press on Friday, a spokesman for KPT said that the insurers of the vessel had wilfully been trying to give a wrong impression through such statements.

The statement, issued by the insurers and owners of the ship recently, had blamed the Pakistan government and KPT for the ship mishap and the consequential spillage of about 30,000 tonnes of crude oil into the sea.

“It is obvious that P&I Club and the vessel owners, who bear total responsibility for the disaster, have tried to put the onus on KPT and the other government agencies of Pakistan,” the spokesman added.

He said that the Club had tried to evade its duty to removing the wreckage of the broken ship as well as paying compensation for the damages incurred due to the disaster.

The KPT statement issued on Saturday, asserted that the unprofessional conduct of the Tasman Spirit’s master had led to the grounding of the ship and subsequently the vessel owners and P&I Club had carried out lighterage and refloating exercise in a most negligent and haphazard manner.

The ship had entered harbour while a sufficiently deep water existed under its keel and the master, at no stage, indicated to the port authorities that he was facing a problem in sailing through the channel due to tidal conditions. Referring to the conditions that prevailed on July 27, the KPT statement pointed out that the ship, having a declared draft of 11.9 metres, entered the harbour when height of tide was 2.1 metres. “With channel depth of 12.2 metres and height of tide 2.1 meter, total depth of water flowing at that the time of the ship’s entry was 14.3 metres and, as such, about 2.4-metre water was available under the keel of Tasman Spirit, which is considered sufficient for safe navigation in channel,” it maintained.

“The fact is that the master faltered due to the poor and erratic steering system of the ship and was proceeding at a speed not sufficient to counter the effects of the wind and tide. The ship touched ground outside the channel and is presently lying in its original ground position,” the KPT contended in response to the Clubs’s claim that the vessel had run aground due to the delay in allowing it into the channel and that the master and pilot of the ship had registered their protest over the delay.

About payment of compensation, the report indicated that the propound framework had not yet been effected and there were no moves to suggest that the Club was going to set up its office at Karachi to entertain the claims for damages.

Regarding removal of the wreckage, the KPT authorities said that the Club had conveniently linked the legal and financial issues with the operational issue of wreckage removal. “It seeks to negotiate on the release of Tasman Spirit crew and salvage master who are presently facing criminal charges in a court of law for their negligence.”

Refuting other allegations the insurers, the KPT authorities said that the moment the vessel had run grounded, four tugs started efforts to refloat the vessel and subsequently on the next two high tides, six tugs were deployed for the purpose.

About the state of dredging of the channel, the port authorities observed that the channel was maintained at a depth which had been promulgated and a round-the-clock maintenance dredging continued to maintain the standards.

They pointed out that the IMO had deputed three consultants to act as neutral observers and it had been independently verified that the performance of ITOPF and the salvors was poorer than desired.

“Had these organizations conducted themselves with the sense of urgency and had they mobilized their resources promptly, the disaster after the accident would have been averted,” it added, saying that the sole aim of the ITOPF personnel, called by the P&I Club, was to downplay the effects of the spillage and they did not provide any worthwhile assistance to minimize the damage.

Referring to the Club’s move to indulge in communication with media, the port authorities alleged that it was aimed at misleading masses and various agencies that were looking at the gross negligence on the part of the salvors and vessel owners.

CONTRACTORS: The port authorities are in search of competent contractors for a cost-effective operation to remove the ship wreckage, according to sources in the KPT.