Warship collision: Statement of Vindhyagiri''s captain recorded

Mumbai, Feb 2 (PTI) City police, probing the collisionbetween Indian naval warship INS Vindhyagiri and foreign cargovessel MV Nordlake, today recorded the statement of thewarship''s captain, police said.

"The statement of Vindyagiri''s captain Petras Valano wasrecorded today," Deputy Police Commissioner Khalid Kaisarsaid.

During the inquiry, the captain explained them in detailas to what had happened on that day and how, according to him,the captian of the cargo vessel did not follow navigationalprocedures, said an official at the Yellow gate policestation.

On Sunday, INS Vindhyagiri and MV Nordlake collided witheach other off the Mumbai coast after which the Navy orderedan inquiry and registered an FIR against the crew of theforeign vessel with the Yellow Gate Police.

Police has already sought communication and logbookdetails from DG shipping. Data pertaining to the AutomaticIdentification System (AIS) fitted in the two ships and VesselTraffic Management System (VTMS) used by the ships and theport will be scrutinised by the police.

Police are also going through the footage recorded bythose on board Vindhyagiri, which the officials consider as acrucial evidence to ascertain as to whose fault it was.

The warship, a fully-operational Leander-class frigatecommissioned in 1981, was badly damaged in a fire thatengulfed it following the collision.

The captain and crew of the merchant vessel were bookedunder IPC sections 280 (rash navigation of vessel), 337(causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety ofothers) and 427 (mischief causing damage), police said.