₹2.8 cr in admiralty suits; Kerala HC orders conditional arrest of Panaman-flagged MV MSC Makoto-II
Kerala High Court orders conditional arrest of MV MSC Makoto-II in admiralty suits related to the MSC Elsa III incident.
Kerala High Court orders conditional arrest of MV MSC Makoto-II in admiralty suits related to the MSC Elsa III incident.
Kerala High Court orders conditional arrest of MV MSC Makoto-II in admiralty suits related to the MSC Elsa III incident.
Ernakulam: The Kerala High Court has ordered the conditional arrest of MV MSC Makoto-II, a Panama-flagged vessel, in connection with six admiralty suits seeking a total of ₹2,79,04,489.50 in damages. Justice Easwaran S passed the interim order on Thursday after reviewing the plaintiffs’ documents.
The vessel, currently docked at Vizhinjam Port, will remain under arrest until the shipowners deposit the claimed amount or furnish equivalent security before the High Court Registry.
According to the petitions, the plaintiffs alleged that fishing nets, wire ropes, boards, and other fishing materials were damaged after becoming entangled with debris from MV MSC Elsa III, which capsized on May 25. The accident resulted in around 643 containers being thrown into the sea.
The six separate claims amount to ₹31,13,414, ₹26,81,500, ₹40,06,489, ₹66,23,579, ₹42,24,366, ₹39,71,820, and ₹32,83,321.50.
Previously, the High Court had conditionally arrested MV MSC Polo II, MSC Manasa F, MV MSC Palermo, and MV MSC Akiteta II in similar suits filed by the government and other parties. Shipowners have since sought limitation of liability for claims linked to the Elsa III incident, but the matter is yet to be heard.
The case was filed by advocates Merline Mathew, Vipin P Varghese, Adarsh Mathew, Anirudh G Kamath, Agustho Norbert, and Megha Madhavan. Senior counsel V J Mathew represented the plaintiffs.