---------------------------------------------------------------------------
**** http://www.GOANET.org ****
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Rape of Goa - A photo documentary
by
Rajan P. Parrikar
Venue: Menezes Braganza Art Gallery, Panjim, May 21-24, 2008
http://www.parrikar.org/misc/doc-notice.pdf
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIMES OF INDIA - GOA EDITION - May 21, 2008
"Oil on beaches puts off tourists".
"OIL'S NOT WELL ON GOA'S BEACHES".
"Slimy waves, jelly globules, sticky substance in sand". (Alexander Barbosa
& Sanjay Banerjee)
"THE LAW - MONITORING - REALITY"
"Cause - Evasion - Effect"
"Tar balls, says govt". (Alexander M. Barbosa)
"Indian waters are dumper's delight" (Paul Fernandes)
"Sticky stuff could be injurious to health" (Raju Nayak)
Comments:
The Goa Su-Raj is thankful for the in-depth extensive coverage of this
beach soiling phenomenon and deeply appreciates the same.
That what we see in the pictures floating on water and on Goa's beaches is
the crude oil tank washings discharged during the transiting period of the
crude oil carriers round cape Comorin and before arrival at Gulf loading
ports. No vessel can discharge these tank washings into the sea directly and
must store these into their slop tanks to be discharged into the specially
provided shore tanks at every Load Port. Oil discharge monitor on board the
ship is supposed to be kept 'on' at all times but as it is well known that
this rule/law is manipulated. If tankers arrive at load port without
sufficient tank washings they can be penalized as it is evident that the
remaining ballast has been discharged at sea. The International regulations
are in place with MARPOL but the implementation 'will' is missing. As an ex-
ship board officer, I have known that many load ports around the world
especially 'Ras Tanurah' load port in the Gulf refuses to take the tank
washings when it is supposed to. Therefore the ships are bound to enter
port with the tanks clean and empty in all readiness to load afresh. The
bulk of the tank washings are discharged into the sea off the Konkan Coast
by the cover of the night as this is the slackest stretch of sea passage as
far as the sea discharge monitoring is concerned.
During the Miramar Beach Privatization hearings by the One Man Commission
(Dr. Nandkumar Kamat) during the tenure of the BJP, when I had deposed, I
had talked at length about the Central Government needing to take this
phenomenon of tank washing discharge at sea by oil tankers seriously and on
a war footing, especially since Goa's tourism was nothing but beach tourism.
I had talked about the naval facility at Goa should be pressed into service
to keep a watchful eye on the movement of super tankers to the Gulf region,
especially at night through sea and air surveillance. But that is asking for
too much. The Indian Navy parked at Goa is not interested in the safety of
Goa's beaches but only its own safety, that it should be allowed to have a
good time at Goa at Goa's cost doing simple things like training raw pilots
and growing barnacles on the ship sides of the Coastguard cutters. For this
reason the Goa Su-Raj Party wants the naval establishment at Goa shifted
lock stock and barrel to Sea Bird at Karwar and shall not rest until this is
achieved.
When my ship accidentally discharged crude oil (less than half ton) into the
sea at berth at Chiba during the operation of intake of ballast water on
its maiden voyage (ship built at Kasado/Japan and loaded at Singapore), the
fine that was slapped was 250,000 U.S. Dollars. No matter what justification
was given for the accident, the reply of the authorities was "BUT CAPITAN -
OIL IN THE SEA - NO GOOD" Because the Japanese will guard their seas with
their lives as fish is their staple food. I have known instances where
the Japanese surveillance planes have escorted the culprit tankers into the
Japanese waters for discharging oil into their territorial waters and have
put the respective Captains under arrest. Come to Indian ports like Bombay
and Calcutta or even Goa, the sea water in the immediate vicinity of out
harbours will be seen as deep black ink that one could easily fill a
fountain pen with and start writing. We Indians have no respect for
anything, not even the God given nature. All we know is to fill our
stomachs, and, more than that, our deep, deep pockets.
I wonder if our 'Aam Aadmi yap'master' CM or the 'Dhirio Bull' Tourism
Minister know the difference between the ship-board crude oil tank washing
discharge and the flushed out matter from a toilet commode. So much for the
safety of Goa's golden eggs laying golden beaches.
floriano
goasuraj
