Captain of MV Desh Shakti arrested

• Divers video-record the underwater hull and gather evidence of collision.

Mangaluru:  The captain and crew of MV Desh Shakti cargo vessel have been taken into custody the Kochi police after it was found to have rammed a trawler off Kochi last week. The captain and crew had earlier denied the claims that their vessel was responsible for the accident that killed four people onboard a trawler. Eight others onboard the trawler have not yet been traced.

The trawler named ‘Oceanic’ sank when the cargo vessel MV Desh Shakti, on its way from Chennai to Iran to load crude oil hit the trawler in the sea 44 km off Munambam. The captain denied any involvement in the accident and the vessel continued its voyage to Iran.

The vessel was later ordered to anchor at the New Mangalore Port for detailed inspections by the director general of shipping. 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.