The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the Director-General of Shipping and the Principal Officer, Mercantile Marine Department, Kochi, to take into custody the original official log book and other documents, including the voyage data record and GPS chart, of the cargo vessel involved in the mid-sea collision with a fishing boat off the Kochi coast, killing two fishermen.
The directive was passed on a writ petition by Sujatha, wife of Antony John Jesu Alexander who was killed in the accident, and another fisherman.
According to them, the Director General of Shipping and the Mercantile Marine Department were the competent authorities under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 to initiate investigation into any marine casualty/accident as per the provisions of the Act.
ADVERTISEMENT
They were yet to conduct a preliminary probe into the accident and seize crucial evidence, such as voyage date recorder, navigation chart, order book and bell book containing the entries on the day of the accident.