Another victim of State piracy

Madras High Court directed the authorities of Shipping, Coast Guard, and Mumbai Port to detain MV Navios Venus, which rammed a mechanized fishing boat off Colachel coast on October 22. The ship is to be detained for 3 weeks.

The petitioner submitted that the fishermen’s crew was seriously injured in the collision when the mechanized boat was anchored about 20 miles from the Colachel harbour. “As the cargo ship speedily hit the boat, 17 fishermen on my boat were thrown out. Two of the crew are in serious condition. My boat was also damaged and is unfit to sail into the sea,” the petitioner said.

He further submitted that MV Navios Venus flouted the operating guidelines framed by the International Maritime Organisation. “The rash and negligent navigation and failure to comply with the Conventions on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions in the Sea, 1972, resulted in the collision. After the collision, the master of the vessel did not provide any humanitarian assistance and proceeded to the next port,” said his counsel advocate P Muthusamy.

https://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2021/10/31041515/1326687/Detain-cargo-ship-Madras-HC-directs-authorities.vpf

Bulk Carrier NAVIOS VENUS is currently located at WCI – West Coast India at position 18° 53′ 48.264″ N, 72° 52′ 10.308″ E as reported by MarineTraffic Terrestrial Automatic Identification System on 2021-10-31 18:03 UTC (2 minutes ago) Marine Traffic reported

The vessel is currently at port MUMBAI ANCH, IN after a voyage of 22 days, 17 hours originating from port SRIRACHA ANCH, TH.

NAVIOS VENUS (IMO: 9713492) is a Bulk Carrier that was built in 2015 (6 years ago) and is sailing under the flag of Panama.

Comment:

Now, all stated in the above is in its’ essence, a bunch of false claims. The ship did stop and turned back after contact (it wasn’t strictly speaking, collision, because be it a direct hit, nothing would be left of the fishing boat except some flotsam). “17 fishermen on my boat were thrown out” – it’s just a lie, pure and simple. Initial reports said 2 fishermen were thrown overboard. For all the crew to come into the water, the boat should be fully destroyed.

The ship didn’t violate COLREG, just like a heavy truck doesn’t violate traffic regulations when it runs along its’ designated lane and bumps into a flock of irresponsible bicyclists. So it’s a regular, repeating time and again, story – Indian Maritime Authorities is incapable (or unwilling) of implementing an orderly, safe, fishing in its’ waters, one which wouldn’t jeopardize both fishing boats and ocean-going cargo ships. But this chaos suits many, doesn’t it?
Initial story: https://www.fleetmon.com/maritime-news/2021/35901/bulk-carrier-collided-fishing-boat-india-false-cla/