Irfan Ismail Shirgaonkar Irfan Ismail Shirgaonkar IRFAN ISMAIL Shirgaonkar, a native of Dapoli in Ratnagiri, was confident he would be able to save his 14-member crew when MV Avior began to list, even in the face of a series of sudden setbacks. Shirgaonkar, the captain of MV Avior on which floating restaurant ARK Deck Bar operated off the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL), said the ship suffered back-to-back setbacks, from the engine malfunctioning to poor weather to hitting a rock. The captain then asked his 14-member crew to jump onto a free passenger boat and head to the safety of the shore. Recounting the series of events, Shirgaonkar said they had permission to leave from the Bandra jetty around 2 pm on Friday. After checking the oil levels and engine, Shirgaonkar set sail for Ferry Wharf, where the vessel was to be docked till October. The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has set May 25 as the last date to operate a sea vessel before the monsoon break when unpredictable weather and choppy seas make the operation of such barges dangerous, said a MMB official. “We had set sail with a crew of 14 and had hardly crossed 200 metres when the engine stopped working. I called up the engineering staff on board. He tried to start the engine nearly five to six times and eventually informed me that it was burnt,” said Shirgaonkar. “Because of the high wind speed and the pressure of the waves, the vessel started drifting towards the Mahim end. I just ensured that we did not collide with the bridge (Bandra Worli Sea Link) and then dropped anchor to the left side. However, as a result of the the wind speed and the nearly 2.5 metre high waves, the vessel kept drifting. Then we could feel the ship hit something hard twice. It was mostly a rock,” he added. The ship then started listing on the starboard side. The captain, who has 15 years of experience, said he knew something was amiss. He sent his staff to check if water had entered the engine room but everything was fine there. “However, the staff sent to the lower deck, where the three guestrooms are located, returned saying water was entering the rooms at high pressure and the rooms would be filled with water in 15 to 20 minutes,” Shirgaonkar said. Sensing that water was gushing on board faster than they were able to pump it out, Shirgaonkar kept a free boat on the port side of the vessel with a handler and operator on standby. Eventually, he asked the crew members to board the free boat. “I collected the original documents of the vessel and when I knew I could wait no more, I entered the emergency vessel. We still waited for half an hour in the boat to see if anything could be done. However, we then left for shore and reached the jetty around 4 pm. Then I called the owners,” said Shirgaonkar. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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