Dubai ship sneaks into Karwar port

KARWAR: The entry of the Dubai-based cargo ship, M V Shahin, into Karwar port, without prior knowledge of the port and Coast Guard authorities has exposed the lack of co-ordination between the port and various security departments.
Shahin, which had travelled deep into the Indian Sea on Friday night, owing to the reported shortage of fuel, is still anchored in the sea and the authorities have not permitted the ship to leave the Indian territory yet.The passports of the sailors on the ship is in the custody of superintendent of police, Uttara Kannada, the sources said.
Though the entry of the ship into Indian territory came to light only because the ship was caught between the rocks near the Kurmagad island at Karwar, it brought to the fore, the security lapses on part of the Coast guard, coastal police and the Indian Navy. The ship came close to the Karwar city and the Seabird naval base.
According to procedure, the port authorities of Karwar usually get details of the vessels and the ships that come to Karwar one month prior to their arrival. Except for ships with prior permission, other ships trying to enter the port have to alert port authorities and only after completion of formalities, are such ships are allowed to enter the port.
But in the case of Shahin, the crew members sought the help of the port and Coast Guard authorities only after their ship was trapped in the rocks. Till then, nobody had any knowledge of a foreign ship entering the Indian territory, which had traversed several nautical miles in Indian waters.
However, it is unclear if the ship had entered Indian waters on Friday or much before that and port officials are investigated the matter. If the ship had not met with the accident, there was a chance that would have scrupulously left the Indian waters, agree the authorities. The shortage of fuel theory has not convinced the officials, because the ship had enough fuel to reach Goa port.
On Sunday, two days after anchoring the ship in deep sea, the personnel entered the ship and thoroughly searched and gave the crew members a clean chit. Anything could have happened in these two days, said a port official. Normally, the port department sends a list of the ships that will arrive in the port to the Coast Guard and they keep watch on ships entering the Indian waters and keep a record of it. Though it is very difficult to man the entire coast, in this particular case, the ship had come very near to an island, close to the Seabird naval base.
If this lapse in security continues, anyone can enter the Indian territory and launch attacks, said a port official. "Now there is no clue about the things that were Loaded onto the ship. The crew members have not left the ship and are still at sea. The truth will come out only if the sailors are brought out of sea and investigated," said a police officer.