The government has spoken out about a Tanzanian-registered cargo ship that sank in a jetty in the southern Iranian port of Assaluyeh this week, saying the owner is making arrangements for salvage.
Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA) director general Sheikha Mohamed told said that they received the information about the accident on Tuesday.
Ms Mohamed said that immediately after receiving the information, the authority ordered the marine casualty investigator from the Royal Classification Society based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to go to the scene and prepare a report.
“We have already received the preliminary report that shows the sinking of the ship was caused by improper loading of containers,” she revealed.
“The ship owner is making preparations for salvage,” she added.
Ms Mohamed said the ship named Anil, sailing under the flag of Tanzania, is owned by Mr Amir Kashiani of Iran under the recognised organisation dubbed ‘Royal Classification Society’.
Recognised organisation is a classification company or other private body carrying out statutory tasks on behalf of a flag state administration, in this case, the ZMA.
The official IRNA news agency said the vessel overturned because containers on it were configured incorrectly at the port’s dock No. 9.
Photos that circulated after the incident show the vessel sinking on its side with containers floating around it.
