Turkish authorities have called off search operations for the Panamanian cargo vessel, mv Rezzak, which went missing in the Black Sea on February 18.
Indian authorities distorting info, allege relatives of crewmenTurkish authorities have called off search operations for the Panamanian cargo vessel, mv Rezzak, which went missing in the Black Sea on February 18, with a 25-member all-Indian crew on board.
Authorities in Ankara told DNA on Sunday that henceforth they would only be probing the maritime fraud angle.
Previously too, Turkey had called off search operations just a couple of days after the ship disappeared, but resumed it on February 24 following an official request by the Indian embassy in Ankara.
An official of Turkish Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC), who did not wish to be named, told DNA on Sunday over phone that they would now be focusing on ascertaining the nature of fraud. He stopped short of alleging that the Indian authorities were not co-operating in right earnest.
“Whatever we came across, we passed those on to Mumbai MRCC and other related agencies. We have also told India that we had abandoned search operations,” said the Turkish official.
Mumbai MRCC, however, denied receiving any substantial information from its Turkish counterparts. “We have not been sent anything significant in the past couple of days,” said Rajendra Singh, inspector general and commander Coast Guards (west region).
Meanwhile, relatives of the missing crew, have alleged that New Delhi was deliberately “distorting information and trying to mislead investigations”.
Kins claimed that the directorate general of shipping (DGS) was dishing out “fake stories” for reasons best known to it.
DGS authorities refuted the charge. “We are telling them exactly what we are getting to know from the Indian authorities and local officials in Ankara,” said Deepak Kapoor nautical surveyor and deputy director general of shipping (technical).
But the kin of crewmen were not willing to listen. “How can DGS go to the extent of issuing an official statement, claiming items from Rezzak were spotted floating in the sea, close to the spot where the first life raft was found? The Turkish authorities had clearly stated that the items did not belong to Rezzak,” said one of the relatives.
Rajiv Gupta, joint secretary (shipping), said, “We are expecting official information on the missing ship and its crew soon.”
Having lost faith in New Delhi, frantic relatives have begun using private channels to secure information directly from Turkey.
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