No case to be filed against MSC immediately: Kerala

The Kerala government does not intend to file a criminal case immediately against Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the operator of the ELSA 3 cargo vessel which sank off the coast of the state on May 25, citing the firm's "patronisation" of the Vizhinjam International Seaport and the need to collect evidence for damages to file compensation claims, a note prepared by chief secretary A Jayathilak on May 29 said.

- Vishnu Varma

KOCHI:

The delay in filing the case has been criticised by the opposition, which rejected the government's arguments. So far, no criminal case has been filed against MSC or other officials associated with the sunken vessel.

The note, seen by HT, was prepared the same day chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan met top officials of the Directorate General of Shipping and four days after the Liberia-flagged cargo vessel loaded with over 640 containers capsized in the Arabian Sea around 14.5 nautical miles from the coast of the state.