Barge P305, the vessel doing work for the ONGC that crashed into a rig off Mumbai during Cyclone Tauktae and sank, leading to the death of at least 49 people on board, had broken free of its anchor shortly after midnight on May 16. Had this information been passed on to the Mumbai-based Digital Communication (DGCOM) Centre of the Ministry of Shipping, a rescue effort could have been mounted much earlier, top sources in the ministry told The Indian Express.
The DGCOM Centre was informed only at 10 am on May 17, by which time the cyclone had already entered the Mumbai coastal area, sources said. The barge had started sending distress signals too by then. Coast Guard, Navy and merchant vessels were diverted to its location only mid-morning.
