Pollution Control Vessel 'Sagar Utkal' successfully launched in Paradip

Paradip: A new oil spill response vessel, ‘Sagar Utkal’, for monitoring the oceonographic activities in Odisha was launched at the Paradip port here on Saturday.

The vessel has been dedicated to the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) under the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, in order to patrol the coastal areas of Paradip, Dhamra and Gopalpur port.

Sagar Utkal has been equipped for oil spill response, with dispersant, recovery and clean-up capabilities. Apart from this, it will also have high resolution sonar scanning equipment for hydrographic survey and sea bottom investigations.

The 18.5 mt long research vessel with seven mt width is a catamaran double-hulled that sails at slow pace of 8 nautical miles per hour. The boat is also equipped with laboratory facilities for scientific analysis on board.

Officials who graced the occasion were OSPCB member secretary Debidutta Biswal, Chairman of Paradip Port Trust Rinkesh Roy, and Director and CEO of Dhamra port Subrat Tripathy.

"The survey boat comprises a lab where all the preliminary testing can be done after collecting the samples.The samplings which cannot be tested here will be sent to the Central lab," said Biswal.