Passengers on board Fort Kochi-Vypeen jhankar had a harrowing time early on Saturday morning as the vessel veered off the path and was swept by heavy currents into the sea.
The passengers could only cry for help as the vessel was swept about 2.5 kms into the sea from the seamouth, during low tide. It took four fishing vessels, a tug from the port and a Marine Enforcement boat about an hour to bring the jhankar back to Fort Kochi jetty. The incident sent shockwaves as it comes less than 40 days after a ferry operating in the route sank, killing 11 people.
Interestingly, the jhankar is owned by the owner of the ill-fated ferry as per an agreement with Kochi Corporation. Being the first trip at 6.30 am, there were about 50 passengers.
Crew blamed
Chief Surveyor of Port Department which issues fitness certificate for vessels termed the incident as operational failure of crew members. “The propeller and steering got jammed after a piece of rope abandoned into the water got stuck in the propeller. Subsequently, the vessel’s second engine too could not be operated. Instead of dropping anchor and repairing the propeller, crew members began tending to the vessel that was floating around. This resulted in it being swept into the sea,” he said.
The standard operating procedure in such a situation is to stop both engines and tend to the vessel only after dropping anchor, which the crew failed to comply with, Mr Ajayan said.
Convenor of Goshree Action Council Majnu Komath said that never in recent memory has a vessel in the stretch been swept this much into the sea. “None would have survived if it was a ferry. The Corporation must speed up construction of two ro-ro (roll in, roll out vessels) being built by Cochin Shipyard, to prevent such incidents.”
