September 30, 2020 14:04:58
INS Viraat aircraft carrier off the coast of Surat. (Express photo: Nirmal Harindran)
The historic INS Viraat aircraft carrier, stranded in Alang on September 28, will remain idle on the shores of the scrapping yard for two months, before an army of workers can begin to dismantle it.
The INS Viraat is located 3,000 feet off the coast of Alang, marked by the thick layer of oil covering the sand caused by years of ships sliding to break. During the high tide of September 28, the “dead ship” was brought close to shore with a tugboat as the carrier had no power of its own. Typically, when a ship is stranded in Alang, it uses the force of high tide, as well as the power of its own engine, to glide towards shore at speeds ranging from 15 to 20 knots. Viraat reached a speed of 2-3 knots and ran aground 3,000 feet from shore. It has been secured by iron ropes that are tied to diesel engine wrenches. This ensures that the boat does not tilt or change position during tides and ebbs.
How will INS Viraat now approach the coast?
The owners of the Shree Ram Group, which bought INS Viraat at auction for Rs 38.54 crore, said their parcels were “green boat recycling” yards that have certificates from the Hong Kong Convention and the European Union. Being a green yard, it ensures that the ship does not break down at sea and that the entire ship breaks down once it is dragged to shore. Cranes are also used to ensure that the broken parts do not fall into the sea.
During high tide, the keys facing the sea that are connected with iron ropes attached to the aircraft carrier will be turned on. These keys will slowly drag the warship into the empty space on the beach between an aging, half-broken oil rig and a container ship.
“Dragging the boat 3000 feet inland will take over a month, as it can only be done during high tides. The soil underneath also plays a role. If it is muddy it is easier to hoist the winch and if it is rocky it will be difficult. Second, being a warship, it has a smaller base and is therefore more difficult to get to shore compared to a wide-base tanker, ”said Mukesh Patel, president of the Shree Group of Companies. Ram that will break INS Viraat.
Also in Explained | The legacy of INS Viraat, the world’s longest-serving aircraft carrier
INS Viraat is located 3000 feet off the coast of Alang. (Express photo: Nirmal Harindran)
When will the break start?
The ship will need a “cut-off permit” from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and the Gujarat Maritime Board before decommissioning can begin. This will be done after a physical inspection of the ship by different post-stranded agencies.
How long does it take to obtain this permit and what due diligence is required?
It is necessary to drain the oil from engines and other machinery. Old batteries must be removed. Any flammable liquid, including excess fuel in the tanks, must be pumped out. These tanks must be cleaned and freed from the residual gases accumulated within the fuel tanks. This process takes 20-30 odd days.
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What about dangerous substances on board?
Once the ship reaches shore, an independent agency designated by the Shree Ram Group will prepare an Inventory of Hazardous Materials (HMI). This agency will come on board, collect all samples, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and send them to a laboratory for analysis before the IHM takes place and is delivered to ship scrapping. This IHM acts as a guide and the ship scrap makes a mark on board the ship that indicates the dangerous parts of the ship. Then the HAZMAT (Hazardous Material) team of the shipbreaking will remove the hazardous substances before the shipbreaking begins.
Once the cut begins, hazardous substances such as asbestos, batteries, and ozone-depleting gases will need to be addressed and safely disposed of. As it is an old ship that began to be built in the 1940s, it is expected to contain gases that deplete the ozone layer that must be recovered and handed over to the authorities. Non-green gases like R12 and R22 that will be in cooling compressors are now banned in India. Substances such as freon gas, a chlorofluorocarbon, are used for the cooling process on the ship. Even during the cutting process, non-hazardous waste such as glass wool used as insulation in homes will be removed.
Workers aboard the INS Viraat on September 28, 2020 (Express photo: Nirmal Harindran)
Is it more difficult to break an aircraft carrier than a merchant ship?
Yes. Being a warship, it not only has a double hull made of several centimeter thick steel plates, it also has multiple small compartments that take time to cut and disassemble. The ski jump, which is an upward curving ramp that allows the aircraft to take off from the ship, is probably the first part to break. Even when other merchant or oil tankers break down, decommissioning starts from the front of the ship.
What about the disassembled parts of a boat?
The disassembled parts of the ships in Alang are often recycled or sold. For example, reusable parts of oil rigs are sold to oil and gas companies. The steel from the ships goes to the Bhavnagar mills. Small items such as cutlery and souvenirs are sold in shops near Alang. As far as INS Viraat is concerned, automobile companies have already contacted shipbreaking to obtain the salvaged steel from the warship.
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