Chennai:
Cargo ship MV Prabhu Daya, suspected to have been involved in the March 1 hit-and-run accident off the Kerala coast in which three fishermen on board a fishing vessel were killed, is now heading towards Chennai Port after a person reported missing from the ship was rescued by fishermen, Indian Coast Guard officials said here on Monday.
"The man who went missing from the ship has been rescued by a fishing vessel. The ship MV Prabhu Daya is expected to reach Chennai Port some time later in the day," an Indian Coast Guard official told IANS.
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship, owned by Tolani Shipping, is suspected to have been involved in the hit-and-run accident off the Kerala coast March 1 in which three fishermen on board the fishing vessel Don-1 were killed.
The accident happened off Manakodam light house, 20 nautical miles off the Kochi harbour entrance.
Don-1 had left Kollam for deep sea fishing with seven fishermen on board Feb 26.
Indian shipping authorities suspect MV Prabhu Daya as the culprit as it did not respond to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), out of the eight ships that were near the accident area.
According to a statement issued by Tolani Shipping on Monday, MV Prabhu Daya, enroute to Chennai at the request of the rescue centre MRCC Colombo, had to be diverted to take part in a search and rescue operation for a missing person at sea.
The missing person has since been found and is safely ashore. This operation was carried out after keeping the Directorate General of Shipping duly informed, the company added.
Curiously Tolani Shipping officials did not clarify to IANS whether the rescued person was on board the MV Prabhu Daya, though the Indian Coast Guard said he was on the suspect ship.
"The vessel's arrival at Chennai has, therefore, been delayed. The vessel has since resumed its voyage to Chennai where it is expected to arrive at around 2200 hrs local time (10 pm) today (Monday)," the statement added.
MV Prabhu Daya is a 52,822 DWT (dead weight tonnage), 2001-built bulk carrier that sails under the Singaporean flag. The vessel was enroute from Panaji (India) to Singapore, Tolani Shipping said.