.: The security threat surrounding the mysterious barge, Dina, near the sensitive Srivardhan coast was finally put to rest yesterday. Dina, owned by London-based ATM Barges, was on its way to Rotterdam from Shanghai, when it broke off from the main vessel Y M Shanghai. The Indian Coast Guard revealed yesterday that the barge had drifted more than 2,000 km in the Indian Ocean without a captain or crew.

Y M Shanghai set sail from Shanghai on July 12, with 12 river barges on her deck.

According to ATM Barges executive Tony Redding, Dina broke away from Y M Shanghai around July 15, when the ship was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, near Suqutra island, Africa, on way to Europe. ATM officials said Y M Shanghai tried to search for the barge, but failed due to poor visibility and the rough seas. The search was abandoned after sounding an alert.

Dina Barge, in the meantime began pitching and rolling in the turbulent Indian Ocean for 15 days before she mysteriously grounded off the sensitive Srivandhan coast on Thursday. Surprisingly, no one saw her entering the Indian waters. What had raised eyebrows among intelligence officials was that nobody had claimed the grounded ship worth a few hundred crores.

These barges are meant for inland rivers and canals in Europe for cargo transportation. ATM executives are organising a team to escort Dina Barge to her final destination in Europe. Coast Guard officials have ruled out an oil spill in the area.