Tanker threatens port sea wall in Sharjah

A sunken oil tanker now poses a threat to the outer sea wall off Al Hamriya Port, said an official with the parent Khalid Port yesterday. Not only is the sunken 30-metre Lady Moon a potential navigational hazard for other ships in the vicinity, the vessel has come to rest underwater extremely close to the concrete defensive wall. A site visit by Gulf News yesterday revealed that the ship lies only metres away from the breakwater and authorities said under heavy sea conditions it could come in contact with the wall. "We're not that concerned about the ship as much as we're worried about the breakwater. It is at the core of the port's safety," a port official told Gulf News yesterday. "We're not waiting for the owner to appear. We will hold the responsibility to remove the tanker as soon as possible, as soon as the weather becomes stable." Cause unknown A potential salvage plan in the early stages by the port may see a large crane commissioned to raise the Lady Moon from the Gulf seabed where she now lies at 12m. The ship is listed on various shipping registry websites as a small oil tanker, built in 2006 and having the call sign of HP2859. Three days after the ship — believed to be empty upon her return to Sharjah port — sank around 6.15am on Sunday, port officials were still trying to determine legal ownership of the vessel. Investigators from the Ministry of Environment Sharjah and the Ministry of Transport conducted follow-up visits to the Lady Moon yesterday where the ship's topmast and radar are barely visible above the waterline. Commercial fisherman have been advised by authorities to steer clear of the immediate area surrounding the sunken vessel. There is still no word from authorities as to the cause of the incident and a 45-minute exploratory dive on Tuesday shed no light due to low underwater visibility. The condition of the hull has still not been verified given murky water conditions on the sea bottom. Divers may return to the shipwreck site today if the weather cooperates. Meanwhile, five Indian national crew members who survived the incident are in Sharjah awaiting their outpasses to enable them to return home by as early as the end of the week, said a marine agent working on their behalf.