More playing for time, I guess the failure to name the tenders will mean that once again all the reputable salvors are steering well clear, as obviously the Gov. as usual, is playing it's usual stalling game, hoping that the next monsoon will break the old girl up and mean that then it would have to be broken up where it is which is what the hidden agenda ha been after all along Alan

Another 2 days and i'll see the heap of scrap again....then next year ....and the year after......

It sounds like another long drawn out Indian saga just like the road bridge that takes you to Morjim which I now believe is finished, that went on for a few years too. Not seen the River Princess yet as my last trip was in November/December 2001, ah well it should still be there for me to see on Friday

I was speaking to one of Goa's top environmetal consultants at the'Wildernest'. He was expressing great concern about the state of the RP. Apparantly if nature takes it's way and gets broken up by a bad storm/monsoon, this could cause havock all the way up the coast from Aguada to Baga making the beach unsuitable for use for approximately 2 years. This is the worst possible scenario.

Let's hope this doesn't happen. It's good to know that pressure is being put on the Government to get rid of the tanker. I'm sure if all the corrupt backhanders for building approval were put together, this would cover the costs of moving the RP.

Interesting article in the Goa Herald regarding the River Princess.

Three options to get rid of her.

1 cut her up and tow her out to sea.

2 cut her up and bring her ashore, (scrap value)

3 float her out to sea.

The first 2 options where discarded because of the environmental damage that would arise.

Floating her will be interesting to see, firstly she will have to be water tight, then she will have to be lightened then about 20,000 tonne of sand will have to be removed from under the hull, probably three times that much, then a channel will have to dredged to get her into deep water.

It aint gonna happen

Lez (the sceptic)

The article in todays Herald( http://www.oheraldo.in/node/17588 ) is the mining companies latest delaying tactic, going to the High Court in Mumbai to cut it up in situe. This is what they have been after all along and if they keep it in the courts long enough mother nature will see to it for them I dont think the goverments really behind moving it anyway, the last tenders, none of the established salvers even tendered and this time they say they have someone but needless to say they are coy at naming them, not surprising after the last shambles when they picked someone who had never moved a ship before but only had experience in scrapping in place. It could only happen in India, When she went aground all those years ago she could have been taken off very easily but that did not suit the shadowy figures,i.e. the owners, who only wanted to cut it up where it was and get some easy money, and nothing has changed in the interveening years, apart from Sinquerm beach being ruined!!. Alan

What do you reckon Gramps?

You and I go and start the Emergency Compressor and drive it off the beach, shouldn't take more than half a day. after all it is a dead ship.

Lez

The Goverment say that the engine has been nicked!!! We took some stuff out the dock gates in my time but never managed a main engine, they must have used Ali Babas magic carpet and flew it out the bridge window. It just coudnt happen anywhere else in the world could it Lezlie, at the start, you likely could have driven it off, that's the sad part of it Alan

I have my thoughts on why it wasn't driven off, buy litigation prevents me.

Nicking a main engine well yes I can see that, a couple of elephants and a tarp down Candolim high street at night, who would notice.

I think I could make up a better excuse than that for not re-floating her, like, well no I cant nicking the engine is just about

lez

It was still there in Jan 2006.....such a shame as Candolim is a lovely beach except for that!

Do they think we are daft? There was'nt an engine in that hulk when it was delivered. If there was, and its been stolen, what are all those security guards for that get changed over every day?

To all those a bit confused about all this talk of stolen engines, the type of diesel propulsion unit in this size of ship is about the sizo of a double decker bus, It is put in place in one piece as the ship is built and the ship is then completed around it. To remove it you have first to remove parts of the decking and lift it out with a large crane, not the sort of task that is done one night in the dark!!! So we can safely conclude that it's still there and all the goverments talk of it being stolen is just another part of all the lies that have been put out in this disgracefull affair. No other country in the world would carry on in this fashion with the risk to their tourist industry for the sake of the usual corruption, which unfortunatley, seems endemic in the whole of the Sub Continent Alan

It was the owner Mr, Anil Salgaoncar, that has been fighting the tourist board over the removal of the river princess,

The tourist board have been fighting him in the courts, they finally got a special legislation passed in September last year, authorising the state to confiscate such a nuisance and remove it.

Following this, the director will once again ask the owner to submit the removal plan, failing which it will be confiscated by the department to begin the removal process before the monsoon season arrives in June next year.

the owners think the ship will break up the Goan government thin not.

lez

The River Princess Saga Part 2000, http://www.oheraldo.in.node/18075 Any bets on anything happening during the coming season?? Alan

is it true???!!!

is the salvage of the old princess due to start on October 1st ??!!!

can't personally see it happening, but i guess it's a good a day as any to start the project to refloat.

http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=081995

misterc.

Read the report about proposed removal, should make an interesting spectacal as I'll be there from Nov thru March, but not holding my breath Ha! Would leave a big hole on the landscape when/if it goes, good excuse for a big party though!!!!!

As the Goverment as always in this affair, never says who the salvors are who are going to do the job, I think you can infer from that, that they have no reputable firm signed up, and consequently this coming salvage window will pass like all others, with nothing done, and the possibility of an enviormental disaster, that bit nearer,for the northern beaches Alan

How can you say that no work was ever done. Was it last year or two years ago that they had 5 labourers removing metal, throwing it in the sea and then bringing it ashore at low tide on a raft made up with oil barrels. This was apparently a British company's attempt to remove the ship. It would only have taken them a couple of hundred years at that rate. But seriously if you remember they actually moved a few of the shacks at the bottom of the Road near the Casa Seashell, but as usual it was all a pig in a poke. I am like you I am extremely sceptical that it will ever be removed. Meanwhile the erosion of the beach continues. Perhaps if this begins to affect the grounds of Kingfisher House we will see some serious action on the part of the Government.

here is an update in the navhind times if you can believe it

http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=102317