Radar Identifies Suspect

The coastal radar chain has helped Indian Coast Guard in apprehending the merchant ship allegedly involved in the sinking of a fishing boat off Kerala.

Coastal radar chain helps nab ship that sank a fishing boat

The coastal radar chain set up along the coast has helped Indian Coast Guard in apprehending the merchant ship allegedly involved in the sinking of a fishing boat off Kerala coast.

M.V. Izumo, the Panama-flagged merchant ship, allegedly involved in the incident which occurred at about 18 nautical miles off Beypore, was identified and escorted to Kochi by the Indian Coast Guard within four hours of the incident report.

The Remote Operating Station (ROS) at Fort Kochi, the user end of the radar chain, was utilised to correctly identify the ship from among the dense shipping traffic in the area at the time.

The vessel, carrying soyabean, was on its way to Singapore from Kandla when the accident occurred.

Three fishermen in the ill-fated country boat had jumped overboard and were rescued by other fishermen in the vicinity. They will come to Kochi after they are discharged from hospital, to aid in the investigations by Mercantile Marine Department and the Kerala police to whom the Coast Guard has handed over the case.

A boarding party from Indian Coast Guard ship Samar boarded the ship and seized and sealed documents and navigational equipment onboard the ship, which will aid the investigating agencies.

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Source: The Shipping Tribune.