A team of officials from various departments today began investigation navigation records and other details of a merchant vessel, which allegedly hit an Indian fishing boat off the city coast killing two fishermen.
The officials from Coastal Police, Customs, Immigration, Director General (Shipping) and Coast Guard entered the Panama-registered cargo ship 'Amber L' to gather evidence in the morning and carried out their inquiry proceedings.
A Cochin Port Trust official said as Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) wanted a technician on-board he was also transported to the ship in the afternoon.
While the members from Immigration and Customs completed their inquiries and returned to the shore by 4.30 PM, other officials were continuing their probe.
"The investigations by different agencies are continuing in the vessel. Ten people in the investigation team are staying back on board the vessel," a Port Trust official said.
He said the port will arrange for the team's return tomorrow on completion of the probe.
The officials were taken in two pilot boats of Cochin Port Trust to the ship currently anchored around 7 nautical miles off Kochi coast, officials said.
In a related development, the Kerala High Court today ordered seizure of all records, including digital data, of the cargo ship that hit the Indian fishing boat.
Justice P B Suresh Kumar passed the order on a petition by a co-owner of the boat who apprehended that digital records of the ship, involved in the incident yesterday, 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.
At present, the ship was at the anchorage of Cochin Port after completing bunker operations. It was anchored within the port limits.
Cochin Port Trust has denied permission to the vessel to sail out from the anchorage and asked enforcement agencies to ensure that the vessel does not leave the port.
Two Indian fishermen were killed and 11 others injured when the Panama-registered cargo ship allegedly hit their fishing boat early yesterday off the Kochi coast.
Out of the 14 crew members on-board, 11 were rescued by fishing boats operating in the vicinity and two bodies were recovered.
One fisherman, Motidas from Assam, is missing after the collision.
Coastal police authorities said a coordinated search and rescue operation by the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard is on to locate the missing fisherman.
Kerala Fisheries department said the body of 54-year-old Thambi Durai (Antony John) from Kulachal in Tamil Nadu who was killed in the accident has been handed over to his relatives after post mortem at General Hospital, Ernakulam.
The body of 26-year-old Rahul Das has been kept at mortuary after the autopsy. The body will be taken to Assam by air from Nedumbassery international airport.
His friend Jitendra Das will accompany the body.
All expenses for taking the body of Rahul and handing it over to the relatives will be borne by the Kerala government, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Navy said the NC3I system at the Joint Operations Centre (Kochi) and Remote Operating Station (ROS) of Coast Guard having AIS and Radar capability were used to try and identify the merchant ship which was responsible for the collision.
A Coast Guard Ship with a police team was deployed yesterday for carrying out primary investigation.
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