
Lawyers for Wakashio Captain Ask Court to Drop Charges
A basic view reveals the majority provider ship MV Wakashio, belonging to a Japanese firm however Panamanian-flagged, that ran aground on a reef, on the Riviere des Creoles, Mauritius, August 11, 2020. REUTERS/Sumeet Mudhoo/L’Express Maurice
Lawyers for the captain of the shipwrecked Wakashio have requested a decide to drop costs in opposition to their consumer in relation to the grounding that has resulted in an environmental catastrophe for the Indian Ocean island nation.
Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, the captain of the Japanese-owned and Panama-flagged Wakashio, was in court docket within the nation’s capital, Port Louis, on Tuesday to face costs of “endangering safe navigation” beneath the nation’s Piracy and Maritime Violence Act. The protection has argued that the fees don’t maintain water and needs to be thrown out, in accordance with French media reports.
The MV Wakashio ran aground off Mauritius’s Pointe d’Esny on July 25, 2020. The capesize bulk provider, which was unladen on the time, was initially reported secure, however after days of pounding surf it started to interrupt up, leading to a breach of a bunker tank on August 6. An estimated 1,000 metric tons of oil was launched into the surroundings earlier than crews had been in a position to plug the leak and take away any extra oil on board, in accordance with the shipowner and supervisor Nagashiki Shipping Co. of Japan. The bow of the vessel has since been towed out to sea and scuttled.
AIS ship monitoring knowledge from Wakashio’s fateful voyage reveals the ship deviated from the conventional delivery lane by about 55 nautical miles and crashed straight into the island. Attempts by the Mauritian coast guard to contact the vessel had been unsuccessful till after the grounding.
The Captain and Chief Officer of the Wakashio had been ultimately arrested by the Mauritius Police Force on August 18.
The Maritime Union of India (MUI) has called on relevant authorities for a good trial of the captain as public outrage over the grounding and the federal government’s response to it grows.
“MUI’s communication has requested these bodies to investigate the arrest of Capt Sunil Nandeshwar in Mauritius and conduct his judicial trial in the local Court abiding the guidelines laid by ‘International Maritime Organization’ and without bowing to any political, governmental or corporate pressure,” the statement dated August 27 mentioned.
“Capt Sunil Nandeshwar has had an incident-free career in the merchant navy for over 40 years, and around 25 years in command as ship’s Captain. He has successfully completed over 100 voyages across the globe till-date,” mentioned MUI General Secretary Amar Singh Thakur.
Captain Nandeshwar stays in custody in Mauritius. The chief officer, Tilak Ratna Suboda, a Sri Lankan, is in custody going through related costs. MUI mentioned that the it’ll proceed to offer help within the matter to make sure justice to the Indian seafarers.
More Wakashio information…
Over the weekend, 1000’s of Mauritians took to the streets of the capital, Port Louis, to protest after greater than 40 dolphins had been discovered lifeless alongside the coast final week. As of now the deaths haven’t been linked to the oil spill.
Mitsui O.S.Okay. Lines, the charterer of the Wakashio, mentioned at the moment it has established a specialised workforce and despatched provides to Mauritius to assist help with the clean-up.
Also this week, the incident took a deadly flip when a tugboat concerned within the oil spill response collided with a barge in unhealthy climate, killing two of the tug’s crew members and leaving two others lacking.