Sunken ship MV Rak Carrier's officials held, released on bail

First pictures: Dramatic rescue op saves 30 sailors off Mumbai coast

Within hours of their arrest, a court in Mumbai on Saturday granted bail to two top officials of cargo vessel MT Rak Carrier, which sank off Mumbai harbour Thursday, police said.

The duo -- Jordanian Capt. Arkan Younis, 36, and Romanian chief engineer Eonascho Eon, 54 -- were nabbed under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 336, pertaining to endangering life or personal safety of others, said Bharat Bhoite, investigating officer at Yellowgate Police Station.

Magistrate SR Padwal of Ballard Estate court later granted them bail of Rs25,000 each.

It was the carelessness of the captain and chief engineer which caused the ship to sink and raised pollution fears, Bhoite added.

The police Friday had interrogated Younis and Eon and also filed a first information report (FIR) in the matter, he said.

The ship, laden with 60,000 tonnes of coal and 340 tonnes of fuel and diesel, sank Thursday afternoon, raising apprehensions of an ecological hazard.

However, the 30 crewmen aboard -- all Indonesians, Jordanians and Romanians -- were rescued in a coordinated effort by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.

The Panama-flagged ship, owned and managed by M/s. Delta Shipping Marine Services, Qatar, was on a voyage from Lubuk-Tutung, Indonesia to Dahej Port in Gujarat, carrying a consignment of coal meant for Adani Enterprises Ltd.