Mumbai: A substantial buoy attached with four-wheeler tyres drifted and washed up near the shoreline at Lower Jeevan Port in the Shrivardhan taluka of Raigad district, creating unease among local residents and prompting authorities into action.
The incident came to light early Sunday morning when locals spotted the sizeable floating object stranded near the coast and informed officials. Maritime Board employee Nitesh Tambe filed a report at the Shrivardhan Police Station, stating that the buoy, equipped with automobile tyres for flotation, had broken free and drifted across the bay.
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Investigations reveal that the buoy was originally deployed by a barge operation near Banakot, working on the bridge-pillar construction in the Banakot creek area, according to report by Loksatta.
The barge, owned by one Abdul Razak Ansari (Mumbai) and operating under Ratnagiri’s Banakot Sea Police jurisdiction, had been anchored using this buoy. However, due to adverse weather and rough sea conditions, the towing rope snapped and the buoy broke away.
Once the buoy drifted free, it floated across the bay and ultimately landed on the coast at Lower Jeevan Port, causing alarm among fishermen and residents who feared it could be hazardous or linked to illicit activity.
Local coast-guard and maritime authorities are now examining the location of the barge and the chain of custody to determine how the buoy escaped and to ensure no navigational or environmental risk remains.
Shrivardhan Police Inspector Umesh Patil appealed to the public not to panic, clarifying that no criminal element was suspected at this time and that the buoy’s origin appears tied to construction work rather than malicious intent.
Authorities are coordinating with maritime, local port and construction teams to retrieve the buoy, restore safe navigation in the creek and study whether future anchoring or buoy-mooring practices need improvement to prevent similar incidents.
