Kerala HC allows 3 crew members of MSC Elsa 3 to return to home countries on ₹1-lakh cash deposit
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed three crew members of the Liberia-flagged container ship MSC Elsa 3, which sank off the Alappuzha coast in
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday allowed three crew members of the Liberia-flagged container ship MSC Elsa 3, which sank off the Alappuzha coast in 2025, to deposit ₹1 lakh each in cash instead of furnishing a bank guarantee to satisfy the conditions for their return to their home countries. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had earlier imposed a bank guarantee condition to ensure the presence of the electro technical engineer, the seaman, and the motorman of the ship during the investigation and trial proceedings of the maritime incident.
The three crew members allowed to travel back home have not been charged with any offences related to the ship capsizing in the final report submitted before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Kochi, at Thoppumpady. The court had earlier held that four other crew members, arrayed as accused in the case, could also return to their home countries if the Magistrate did not impose any travel restrictions while granting bail.
In the preliminary inquiry report by the Directorate General of Shipping, a critical system malfunction, compounded by structural failures and the incompetence of crew members, was identified as the causative factor leading to the incident. A series of public interest litigations are also pending before the High Court, seeking compensation for fishers and other affected stakeholders, and $134 million as an environmental security deposit.
The shipwreck had caused extensive coastal and marine pollution off the Kerala and Tamil Nadu coasts.
The BriefWire