MV MIRACH NAGERCOIL
Bulk carrier "Mirach" (27,192 DWT) grounded on a reef off the coast of Southern India in late March 2011. The grounding position was just three miles offshore off the port of Trivandrum. This is a rocky location and a salvage inspection revealed that most holds and the forepeak were flooded, with the bulkheads later collapsing. The No. 5 hold and the engine room were however still dry. The SMIT salvage team promptly set to work on the first priority the recovery of pollutants, including HFO. This task required the use of a hot tap system, to penetrate and pump from submerged tanks.
A salvage team and equipment were mobilized. In addition, the 'Smit Nicobar' was mobilized from the Arabian Gulf, to act as the main work platform. The main objective was to remove pollutants before the Monsoon break. A total of 32 tonnes were recovered.
