Vessel Carrying Heavy Machinery Stuck In Shallow Waters In Kendrapara

A chartered vessel carrying heavy machinery has come to a standstill in the shallow waters of Luna river near Badapalagad under Kendrapara’s Marshaghai block. The stuck vessel has however raised curiosity among the local residents.

As per reports, the machine was brought from Shanghai in China to Paradip by sea before it was dispatched by the chartered vessel through Luna river to its destination at Kaniha in Talcher.

However, after negotiating for 30 kms, from the sea mouth in Paradip and through the Luna River, the vessel was stuck in the riverbed near Badapalagad due to shallow waters.

Locals flocked the area to have a glimpse of such a large vessel cruising in the river after decades.

Prashant Nayak, a local of Badapalia said, “It was an ancient trade route used by the British. I have seen even launches which were used to transport goods in this river when I was a kid.”

“Over the years, the river got thinner and its waters shallower with rising of the sand level in riverbed. The vessel has been stuck here since a week and the owners are trying hard to move it but have not succeeded till now,” Nayak added.

According to Dhaneswar Das, another villager, “After improvement in road communication, people little used waterways for transport which amounted to silting of the riverbed and that is the reason behind the stalling of the heavy vessel.”

Meanwhile, locals flocked the spot reminiscing the lost maritime glory of Odisha in the past when traders from the State used to go to Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka to sell their goods through sea route.