Wakashio Captain and Chief Officer arrested and detained
Written by Nick Blenkey
Bow section of grounded bulker is to be towed to a point eight nautical miles beyond reefs [Image: Mobilisation Nationale Wakashio]
The Captain of the grounded bulk carrier Wakashio, Indian national Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar and the Chief Officer, Tilak ratna Suboda, a Sri Lankan, are now being held in police custody in Mauritius after being provisionally charged with endangering the safe navigation of a vessel.
According to local media, the arrests followed their questioning “under caution” into the circumstance surrounding the July 25 grounding of the Panamanian flagged, Japanese owned bulker.
The two mens’ next court appearance is set for August 25.
- UPDATE: In a statement released August 19, the vessel’s owner, Nagashiki Shipping Co., acknowledged the arrests and said: “We will continue to support the crew and their families while awaiting future judicial decisions. We sincerely apologize for causing a great deal of inconvenience to everyone involved, including everyone in Mauritius, due to this grounding accident and oil spill. We will continue our efforts to collect the spilled oil and minimize the damage to the environment.”
