It has been five months, ship 'Rezzak' is still missing

{image-MV Rezzak_04072008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Bangalore, Jul 4: Its five months after MV Rezzak, a cargo vessel with 25 Indians went missing off the Turkey coast ( In Black sea) , the kith and kin of the missing members are now protesting against India government's apathy towards the fate of the lost ship.

Families are especially upset with the Preliminary interim report, which according to them does not say about the whereabouts of the ship. A sign, according to the families, that points towards absolute negligence on behalf of the government. Ship is believed to be either hijacked or the company itself has kept the ship in hiding to claim insrurance money.

Now India goverment has formally asked the International Maritime Organisation( IMO) to order a fresh investigation into disappearance of vessel M V Rezzak, saying the incident has "shaken the government's confidence" in its proactive maritime training policy. IMO is a UN agency concerned with the safety of shipping and cleaner oceans.

26 year old, M V Rezzak, a general cargo vessel, carrying the Panama flag with gross tonnage of 3009 tonnes, sailed out on February 17, 2008 from Novorossiysk in Russia with a full load of about 2800 tonnes of steel billets, to Bartin Limani in Turkey with 25 Indian crew members.

Prior to the voyage, Rezzak was reportedly detained for a fortnight due to a large number of deficiencies, most of which were said to have been attended to before it got the green signal.

The vessel suddenly disappeared in Black sea. The Turkish authorities carried out a search operation but, barring some oil slicks and empty life rafts, there was no trace of the vessel or the crew.

OneIndia News