Fishing boat accident: HC orders seizure of Panama ship's records

The HC passed the order after looking at a petition filed by the boat owner Two fishermen were killed while one went missing when the Panama cargo ship hit the fishing boat The ship and its crew including the captain, a Greece national, were detained soon after the incident  

The Kerala High Court has ordered seizure of all records, including digital data, of a cargo ship from Panama that hit an Indian fishing boat off the Kochi coast, killing two fishermen. 

Justice PB Suresh Kumar passed the order on a petition by the boat owner who apprehended that digital records of the ship, involved in the incident on Sunday, could be destroyed if they were not impounded.

The judge ordered the director general of shipping and mercantile marine department to seize all materials, including GPS log book, bell book and voyage data recorder of the ship. 

Two fishermen were killed while one went missing when the Panama-registered cargo ship hit their fishing boat off the Kochi coast around 2 am on Sunday.  Coastal police authorities said a coordinated search and rescue operation by the Indian Navy and the coast guard was on to locate the missing fisherman. 

The ship and its crew including the captain, a Greece national, were detained soon after the incident. The crew members reportedly stated they did not resort to rescue efforts mentioned in the international law as they were not aware that the ship had hit the boat.

(with PTI inputs)