The Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) has approached the Kerala High Court seeking its concurrence to examine the navigational records seized from mv Amber L, the Panama-flagged bulk carrier, suspected to be involved in a mid-sea collision off Kochi two days ago.
Based on a High Court order, inquiry officers of the MMD and the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) inspected the ship on Monday and took custody of the original official log book, voyage data recorder, original log abstract, night order book and bell book, original GPS log, and the navigation chart.
Officials from the Coastal Police, Coast Guard, Customs, Immigration, and the Cochin Port Trust were present during the inspection.
A representative from the P&I Club (protection and indemnity) and a lawyer representing the owners of the ship were present on the ship, in addition to the crew.
According to sources, examination of the navigational records will be crucial in confirming whether it was the same ship that jostled the fishing boat Carmel Matha and if the ship crew ignored pleas of the stricken fishermen.
Preliminary investigation suggested that the merchant vessel was being skippered by the second officer at the time of collision.
Meanwhile, an official with the Fort Kochi Coastal police station said the search for the missing fisherman from Assam, Motti Das, continued on Tuesday. The body of Rahul Das, who was killed in the accident, was taken to Guwahati.
