The agent of MT Pratibha Cauvery , Seaworld Shipping and Logistics Pvt. Ltd., on Wednesday, has said their role in arranging assistance for the stranded crew was limited to certain procedural and legal formalities.
In a statement, Seaworld’s lawyers said the non-supply of food and fuel was ascribable solely to the failure of the ship owners to perform their duties, and not to negligence by the agency. The statement also said there was an internal procedure in place for the supply of provisions, stores and bunkers between the master of the ship and the owners, in which the agency did not have any role to play.
Following the grounding of the vessel and drowning of six crew members, attempts had been made to get in touch with the agency's officals but they were unavailable for comment.
However, the agency has come forward with their statement after police arrested two of their staff on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. In the statement, the agency’s lawyers have said that their staff members had been arrested for no fault of theirs and they had been cooperating with the police during the probe.
Branch manager Jayaraman (55) and operational assistant Chitti Babu (46) of the agency were arrested by the Shastri Nagar police on Tuesday and remanded to judicial custody in connection with the death of six crew members of the vessel.
