Latest news with #K.Mohandas
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
In shipwreck, best practice is to register case against ship owner, says ex-Shipping Secretary
Though the Kerala government has decided to look for insurance compensation instead of registering a case against the Mediterranean Shipping Company, the owner of the ship MSC Elsa 3 that sank off the coast of Kerala, the Maharashtra government had sued the company when its cargo vessel MSC Chitra collided with another vessel, MV Khalijia, off the Mumbai coast, spilling huge amounts of oil and hazardous chemicals into the Arabian Sea in 2010, causing serious environmental damage. K. Mohandas, who was the Shipping Secretary then, told The Hindu that soon after the incident the Maharashtra government registered a criminal case against the owner of the ship and the negotiation for insurance compensation progressed parallelly. 'We cannot compare the two cases. The best practice is to register a case against the shipping company and pursue the case both legally and also through negotiations. The case can be withdrawn later if there is mutual agreement on the compensation after a detailed scientific analysis,' he said. No legal compulsion However, he said, there was no legal compulsion to register a case. If the State government was confident of settling the case through negotiation, it could also be explored, especially since the company had a global reputation, he said. In the case of Maharashtra, the damage to the ecosystem was severe with huge oil spillage. Later, the owner of the ship sank the vessel along with the dangerous cargo onboard after around eight months of the accident as it was very difficult to retrieve the poisonous cargo from the ship. Even the shipbreakers refused to handle the cargo and shred the vessel. The owners sank the ship to the bottom of the sea around 350 nautical miles off the coast of Mumbai, as per reports. Criticism Experts have criticised the handling of the issue in Kerala, as the State government has decided to pursue negotiation instead of filing a case against the owner of the ship. The State was of the view that the MSC is a reputed company which patronises the Vizhinjam International Seaport and the company requires the goodwill of Kerala for its operations here. The State, which released the list of dangerous cargo manifest a day after a cargo vessel caught fire off the coast of Kannur on Monday, was dragging its feet on releasing the cargo manifest of MSC Elsa 3.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Chances high for Singapore-flagged ship that caught fire off Kerala coast to sink along with dangerous cargo
Even as the Coast Guard has been continuing efforts to douse a fire on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship MV Wan Hai 503 in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Kerala, the chances for salvaging the ship are a highly arduous task considering the current prevailing situation of the ship. According to K. Mohandas, a former Shipping Secretary, the main challenge involved in salvaging the ship and the dangerous cargo onboard was the report of the ship listing around 10-15 degrees on one side. Second, the fire has not been brought under control a day after the accident due to the challenging weather conditions. The prevailing monsoonal conditions over the Arabian Sea are helpful for spreading and difficult to contain the fire inside the ship. Normally in such a situation, the ship will break up and sink into the sea. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior Union Shipping Ministry source said it is not necessary that all the listed ships would sink along with the cargo. In this case, the firefighting team involved in the exercise could not bring the fire under control until now. We can say anything about the future of the ship and the dangerous cargo onboard the ship only after dousing the fire. However, we are hopeful that the fire could be contained,' he said. As per the cargo manifest released by the Kerala government, 157 containers carry highly dangerous goods. 'Unlike Liberian container ship MSC ELSA 3 carrying more than 640 containers, which initially started tilting on one side, and later sank off the coast of Kochi with hazardous cargo due to the stability issues, we assume that the fire broke out in the latest incident from the inflammable cargo kept onboard the vessel. Only after a detailed investigation could we say more in detail with evidence,' he said. Though both the shipwreck incidents seem to be identical in the gap of a fortnight, the two incidents are totally different and independent. 'We cannot draw a parallel between both incidents, including the reason for the fire in the latest ship and the capsize of the former ship,' said Mr. Mohandas. All the cases are different, and a case-to-case approach has to be adopted. 'In this case, the ship is a Singapore-flagged vessel where the inspections and scrutiny of the vessel are more rigorous than other country-flagged vessels, like vessels registered in Liberia, which is a flag of convenience. The common factor is that anything that spills onto the Arabian Sea from a sinking ship off the coast of Kerala during the period from June to September would invariably and undoubtedly reach the shore of the State due to the effect of the wave transportation triggered by the monsoon, said Mr. Mohandas.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Consumer commission orders nursery to pay ₹1 lakh compensation to farmer after banana plants didn't bear fruit
In a quiet corner of Kerala, a farmer's hopes for a bountiful banana harvest withered — not from drought or disease, but from a promise unfulfilled. Now, a local consumer court has stepped in, ordering a nursery to pay ₹1 lakh in compensation after the banana plants it supplied failed to bear fruit as expected. The complaint was filed by a farmer from Karimpanthottiyil, Wandoor, in this district, who had taken land on lease for farming. He bought 150 banana saplings, including the 'Nendran' variety, from Chungathara Krishi Nursery, paying ₹3,425. He was told the plants would bear fruit within 10 months, in time to sell during the Onam season. However, the plants did not bear fruit on time. Worse, instead of the 'Nendran' variety, he received a different type called 'Swarnamukhi'. Other saplings he received were also not the ones he ordered. The farmer filed a complaint with the Consumer Commission, asking for ₹1.64 lakh in compensation. The local agriculture officer and an advocate commissioner visited the farm and submitted reports that supported the farmer's claims. Based on these reports, the Malappuram District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ordered the nursery to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation. In addition, they must return ₹3,425 for the cost of the saplings, ₹11,175 spent on fertilisers, and ₹10,000 for legal costs. The Commission, led by President K. Mohandas and members Preethi Sivaraman and C.V. Muhammed Ismail, also stated that if the payment is not made within a month, 9% interest will be added. The order was issued against Chungathara Krishi Nursery and Garden Service.
