Second crane from first ship to berth at Vizhinjam today

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The second crane from the first ship that arrived in Vizhinjam will dock today. The first of the three cranes were berthed yesterday. The crane is docked by three Chinese crew members of the Shin Hua 15 ship and experts from Mumbai. The Center initially not permitting Chinese nationals to disembark at the port, had created a panic. Once the permission was given and the sea was calm, the crane was docked. The third crane will also be docked and the ship will return by Tuesday.

The cranes brought in the ship could not be docked even after days of celebrating the first ship. The reason was that the Chinese nationals on board Shen Hua 15 did not get immigration clearance. After pressure from the Adani Group and the state government, three of the 12 Chinese nationals were allowed to disembark from the ship. The central government has recently approved the requirement of approval by at least three of the most skilled persons.

The first crane was docked with the help of 60 experts from Mumbai of Zhen Hua PMC. If the ship is detained at the port, it will be a huge loss for the Adani group. 25000 US dollars should be given as compensation per day. Adani had also started discussions to avoid settlement of losses citing the special situation of Vizhinjam. Although cranes were docked at Mundra too, the situation in Vizhinjam is different. Being a working port, Mundra itself has many experts. However, Vizhinjam Port is a non-commissioning site. The challenge before Adani and the state government is to keep the promise of commissioning within six months.