Kollam: The beached dredger Hansita that has been a nightmare for the residents of Kakkathoppu here has finally got salvation.
Dr S. Karthikeyan, the district collector, permitted its dismantling after repeated attempts to tow the ship away failed.
The residents also staged several protests to remove the vessel after huge waves it induced gnawed away the shore and several houses of the fishermen.
The decision to dismantle was on the request of the Kannur-based contracting company, Ferro Rolls and Metals.
Dr Karthikeyan, who also chairs the disaster management authority, ordered the contractors to abide by the directives of the pollution control board to avert possible environmental hazards.
No construction should be carried out along the shore for this, and there should be no bleaching and acid wash of the vessel’s parts. Also, the public should suffer no difficulties. The ship beached on June 25, 2016, had led to the formation of a new ridge along the shore causing huge waves.
After several failed attempts to raise the anchor and pull her back to deep waters using tugs, the ship authorities had sought technical assistance from Kerala Metals and Minerals Ltd (KMML).
Based on its tips, attempts were made to pull the vessel using the advantage of the high tide prevalent in the Arabian sea. Efforts to pass seawater around the ship base by constructing temporary bunds using sand sacks also failed.
The residents had staged several protests including hunger strikes demanding its immediate removal.
Technical issues made the ship anchor offshore near Kollam port as the ship authorities failed to pay the wharfage charges which had exceeded '40 lakh.
The Chinese-flagged vessel was brought here by the Indian company Megha Shipping on March 26, 2013.
