India Removes Sunken Vessel from Cochin Shipping Channel

zoomIllustration; Image Courtesy: Cochin Port Trust The wreck of the fishing vessel which sank in the main shipping channel at Cochin port has now been dragged out of the channel, according to GAC India. On September 29, GAC informed that divers were deployed in order to provide final confirmation that the entire boat has been removed, in order to clear the channel for movement. The vessel sank in the morning hours of September 26 after it developed a leakage. The ships engine also stopped working while it was some 5 nautical miles off the coast. After alerting relevant authorities, the fishing boat was to be towed to Thoppumpady harbour. However, it sank when it reached the area between barmouth and Fort Kochi junkar. The wreck was hampering vessel traffic in the area, GAC India earlier said, adding that Cochin Harbour was unable to handle ships of over 10 meters in draft as the wreck was located close to the center line of the channel. Due to its location, there was not enough width for the bigger ships to pass through.