India’s army and navy on Friday continued a search for 26 people still missing from sunken accommodation barge Papaa-305 (IMO 8784327).
Around 186 people had been rescued out of 261 on board the barge, which sent an SOS on Monday after its anchors gave away, leaving it floating adrift. The barge, carrying mostly construction workers, sank near oilfields around 45 miles southwest of Mumbai.
Five rescued workers taken to Mumbai’s Apollo Spectra hospital were in stable condition, a hospital spokesman said.
The barge was owned and operated by Durmast Enterprises and was chartered by Afcons Infrastructure Ltd, a construction and engineering company based in Mumbai and engaged in contract work for Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), reported Reuters.
“Durmast is the owner and the responsibility for marine operations rests with the vessel owner and his marine crew stationed on the vessel,” Afcons said in a statement, adding that its construction workmen were on the barge.
According to Equasis,2004-built, St Kitts & Nevis-flagged, 8,882 gt Papaa 305 is owned and managed by Modern Imagination Ltd of Tortola, British Virgin Islands. It is entered with Shipowners” Club on behalf of Papaa Shipping Private Ltd.