Captain of MV Desh Shakti arrested for mid-sea accident off Kochi

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Aug 15, 2018: The captain and two crews of a cargo vessel have been taken into custody the Kochi police after it was found to have rammed a fishing boat off Kochi last week. The captain and crew of MV Desh Shakti had earlier denied the claims that their vessel was responsible for the accident that killed four people voyaging in the fishing boat. Eight others are yet to be traced.

The boat named ’Oceanic’ was sunk when the vessel hit it in the sea 44 km off Munambam. Only two  members of the crew could be saved. MV Desh Shakti was on its way from  Chennai to Iran to load crude oil when the accident happened. The captain denied any involvement in the accident and the vessel continued its voyage to Iran.

The director general of shipping later ordered the vessel to anchor at the New Mangalore Port for detailed inspections. Initial checks did not find any evidence of a collision but divers from Mumbai were brought in to video-record the underwater hull. The examination of the footage convinced the authorities that the vessel was involvED in a collision. The captain and the other two members of the crew will be taken to Kochi on Wednesday.