High court orders ‘arrest’ of merchant navy ship

The Bombay high court on Friday directed the Mumbai port authorities to arrest ‘Global Purity’, the merchant vessel owned by the Panama-based company Asian Shipping, which has been accused of sinking the Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Vivek’.

The coast guard ship sank near the Mumbai port on March 23 this year.

Justice RY Ganoo was hearing an admiralty suit (referring to maritime offences) filed by the Government of India, seeking arrest of the merchant ship. The Indian government moved the HC early this week, claiming damages worth around Rs169 crore.

Represented by the additional solicitor general DS Kambata, advocate Afroz Shah and advocate Rahul N, the Indian government informed the court that Global Purity that was carrying a cargo of yellow peas, weighed about 28,000 metric tonnes, whereas ‘Vivek’, which was guarding the Indian coast, weighed only 1,100 metric tonnes.

Asian Shipping has also filed a suit for limitation of liabilities and has argued that they are liable to pay only Rs20 crore. The court will now hear the case on June 14.

Earlier, the Yellow Gate police arrested a Philippine national and captain of Global Purity. The arrested captain has been identified as Sarigumba Sarjeovillas.

After detailed investigation, a case was registered against Global Purity, following which Sarjeovillas was arrested.

The complaint was registered by Aneesh Arvind Hebbas, a Kandivli resident and commandant with the ICG.

The police are also investigating whether it was a deliberate move to sabotage the armed coast guard vessel.