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Russian ship detained in Cochin over ‘unpaid dues’; embassy in touch with MEA
The Russian side has made an official request to the Union external affairs ministry for an “explanation of the circumstances of the incident”
A Russian cargo vessel that delivered a shipment for the Indian armed forces has been detained at Cochin port in Kerala in connection with a claim against the ship’s owners over non-payment of bills, the Russian embassy said on Tuesday.
The Russian side has made an official request to the Union external affairs ministry for an “explanation of the circumstances of the incident”, and ensure “unconditional observance of the rights of the Russian ship-owners and crew”.
There was no immediate response on the matter from Indian officials.
According to several websites that track merchant shipping, the Russian vessel — MV MAIA-1 — sailed from Novorossiysk port in Russia on June 25 and arrived at Cochin this week after calling at ports in Turkey and Egypt.
The Russian embassy said in a statement that it was aware of the cargo ship’s detention after the delivery of “a military cargo for the Indian armed forces”.
“According to the preliminary information, these actions are connected with the claim of the Estonian shore service company Bunker Partner OU, which claimed that the owners of the ship allegedly had a debt,” the statement said.
The Kerala HC on Monday ordered the seizure of the Russian cargo vessel due to the alleged non-payment of fuel charges amounting to ₹1.87 crore (USD 23,503) after the Estonian company approached the court.
“After going through the plaint, and the affidavit attached with it, the court is satisfied with prima facie case, warranting an ex parte order of arrest,” the court ruled, adding that the ship can be detained until dues are cleared.
However, the high court allowed the unloading of the ship’s cargo as it had “nothing to do with the lawsuit”, the Russian statement said.
The Russian consulate in Chennai is “directly in control of this situation”, the embassy said.
