Russian cargo vessel detained in Cochin port released after Kerala high court order

A Russian cargo vessel detained in Cochin port over a claim against the ship’s owner was released on the orders of the Kerala high court on Wednesday 20 July after the parties settled the issue through talks.

Estonian shore service company Bunker Partner OU had claimed it was owed $23,503 by the owner of the Russian bulk carrier MV Maia-1. The Estonian firm approached the Kerala high court, which issued an order on Monday for the ship to be seized over the unpaid dues.

Russia’s consul general in Chennai, Oleg Avdeev, said the vessel was released on the orders of the high court on Wednesday.

“The owner of the Russian ship and the Estonian company that filed the lawsuit held talks and settled the issues that arose. The company then appealed to the high court of Kerala and withdrew its claim. The court decided to release the vessel from arrest, close the case and let it [the ship] leave the port,” Avdeev told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.

The crew of the Russian vessel faced no problems because the matter involved only the ship. “The sailors stayed on board and were provided with everything they needed, so they were taken care of,” he said.

“Our honorary consul in Trivandrum helped the Russian sailors and is now assisting in getting permission from the port authorities to leave Cochin as soon as possible, which is a necessary formality,” he added.

MV Maia-1 had delivered a shipment for the Indian armed forces. It sailed from the Russian port of Novorossiysk on June 25 and arrived at Cochin after calling at ports in Turkey and Egypt. The high court had earlier permitted the cargo to be unloaded because it had nothing to do with the lawsuit.