Snakes on ship! Serpentine problem for workers as Sagar Kanya docks for repairs

Visakhapatnam: Workers at the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam faced a unique problem when one of India's oldest ocean research vessels - ORV Sagar Kanya - sailed in to be retrofitted. Those who first boarded the vessel about two months ago noticed a large python snaking its way in the many nooks and crannies and there was talk of more species slithering around, leaving the workers too scared to start repairs.Experts were called in and they captured at least four snakes from the ship, including a large cobra from the second floor less than a week ago. The python, however, has remained elusive.Sources said the vessel was anchored at the Andaman coast close to forest surroundings for several months. "That might have given space for the snakes to sneak into the vessel. We came to know from the ship management that several birds and other species were also on the ship," one of the workers told TOI.The 100-metre all-weather vessel which was commissioned in 1983, supports geoscientific, oceanographic and atmospheric research. On the second day of the docking, workers spotted a python and some small snakes onboard. They informed the authorities, and the ship management sought the help of Visakha Snake Catcher Welfare Association representative Naga Raju, who visited the ship along with his team of six. They spotted the python but did not catch it, as it managed to slip away."This is not a small ship. It has many rooms and places to hide. We searched the entire vessel from top to bottom for two days. We did not find anything apart from the four snakes we caught" Naga Raju told TOI.Workers, fearing the snakes, stopped work for almost one month. A worker is said to have informed Naga Raju that he saw a snake come out of the ship and fall into the water.Less than a week ago, Nagaraju's team was requested to catch snakes on the ship for the second time. He, along with his team, was informed by the workers that they spotted a big snake, a cobra, on the second floor of the ship. The team captured the cobra after three hours of efforts.Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) officials said the repair work had finally started and it would be completed later this month.ORV Sagar Kanya is owned by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and studies the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. The multidisciplinary research vessel was built in Germany in 1983 and delivered to India.