Killer fishing vessel Besalel’s licence had expired in July

Kochi: The fishing vessel which rammed the Vypeen-Fort Kochi ferry killing 8 persons on Wednesday has no valid licence. The licence issued by the fisheries department had expired in July, police said.

“We have gone through the documents produced by the owner of  the fishing vessel, Besalel.  Prima facie the vessel has no valid licence,” said  Mr Harishankar, deputy  city police commissioner.

“We will have to conduct further inquiries  to arrive at a conclusion. The vessel owner will have to face serious consequences  if there is no licence,” he said.  

The police ruled out arresting  Aby of Kannamali,  the owner of Besalel,  at present.

“We are investigating the case and now there is no need to arrest the owner of the boat,”  the police said.

According to  Mr Shyam Kumar,  a marine law expert,  a licence is a must for any vessel to carry out fishing in Indian waters.

The Cochin Port Trust, meanwhile, clarified that the port was not issuing any licence to the fishing vessels.

At present,  only 200-odd passenger boats and tourist boats in Kochi have valid licences.

The mechanic who was questioned by the police  claimed that he did  not see   the passenger vessel before it was too late.