The Russian Consulate General in Chennai holds control over the situation

The Russian Embassy in India is aware of the Russian cargo ship detention in the Indian port of Cochin. The ship had delivered military cargo for the Indian Armed Forces. The Russian Consulate General in Chennai holds control over the situation, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

According to the statement, the Embassy has requested the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to provide official explanations of the incident circumstances and asked the ministry to ensure full compliance with the rights of Russian ship owners and crewmembers.

According to the information obtained by the Russian Ministry, the detention is connected with the claim of the Estonian shore service company Bunker Partner OU which says that the ship owner allegedly has a debt.

“We emphasize that the court allowed the unloading of the military cargo as it has nothing to do with the lawsuit,” reads the statement.

According to earlier statements, the Kerala high court Monday ordered that a Russian ship, MV MAIA-I, be seized over non-payment of fuel charges of around Rs 1.87 crore ($23,503) to an Estonian firm. As the ship is carrying arms for the Indian Navy in Kochi, the court has allowed unloading of the cargo while in detention, according to The Times of India. The court noted that the ship is docked at the Cochin Port Trust.

Source: https://en.portnews.ru/news/332535/