Unaware if cargo ship hit Indian fishing boat: Captain

Kochi: The Greek captain of a cargo ship which hit a fishing boat off Kerala coast on Sunday said he was not aware of the collision, a shipping official said on Tuesday. Two fishermen were killed and the third is missing.

"The captain of the ship claims that he was not aware of the collision. Now that the Kerala High Court has directed the seizure of the ship`s documents, we will wait for directions from the court on the course of action to be adopted," Ajith K. Sukumar, an official with the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS), told media here.

He added that it will take a few more days for the procedures to be completed in the ongoing probe of the collision.

On Monday, top officials attached to the DGS  accompanied by the Coast Guard, Coastal Police and Kerala Police officials finished a day-long inspection of the ship and took detailed statements from the 28-member crew of the ship.

They also took documents which include the voice data recorder and the original logs of the ship.

The authorities on Tuesday continued their search for the fisherman who went missing after the collision.

The cargo ship, bearing a Panama flag and carrying fertilisers, was on its way from China to Israel. It is now berthed in the outer seas.

According to the fishermen in the ill-fated fishing boat, "Carmel Matha", the accident occurred around 2 a.m. on Sunday about 16 nautical miles from the Kerala coast.

According to the fishermen, there was no warning by the cargo ship and after hitting the fishing boat, it sailed away without stopping, which according to maritime laws is a grave crime.