Crew Of Arrested MSC Vessel Finally Allowed To Disembark At Vizhinjam Port After 4 Months

After nearly four months of being stranded on board, 12 crew members of the arrested Liberian-flagged container ship MSC Akiteta-II were permitted to disembark at Vizhinjam International Seaport on Saturday.

The long-awaited crew change was carried out under special permission from immigration authorities, marking the first such operation at the port, which currently lacks an Integrated Check Post (ICP).

The departing team was replaced by 11 new crew members, including two Keralites, in a coordinated operation led by Waterline Shipping and Logistics, a Thiruvananthapuram-based agency representing Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).

Among those who signed off was Chief Engineer Avjaye Aggrey John Kobina, a Ghanaian national whose Seaman’s Book was nearing its expiry date.

According to port sources, the transfer was conducted through a coordinated effort between the Kerala Maritime Board, Adani Ports, and immigration officials. The outgoing crew was ferried from the vessel anchored in Vizhinjam’s outer harbour using Adani Ports’ tug boat Dolphin 27.

Immigration formalities were completed at the Kerala Maritime Board’s port, which has the necessary ICP facilities. The procedures were conducted under the Travel and Landing Clearance protocol. Chief Engineer Kobina later flew home from Thiruvananthapuram Airport on Sunday.

Until now, Vizhinjam Port had allowed crew changes only in cases of medical emergencies. However, rising personal and professional urgencies among the stranded crew, including expiring contracts and documentation, led to the latest operation.

A representative from Waterline Shipping said the company had been facilitating mooring operations and supplying provisions to the vessel since its arrest.

The crew change became essential as several seafarers had completed their contracts, while others were unable to return home for holidays due to restrictions on disembarkation following the vessel’s detention.

The MSC Akiteta-II was arrested following a Kerala High Court order in connection with a case filed by the state government, seeking compensation for environmental pollution caused by another MSC-operated container ship that sank off the Kochi coast in May this year.

The court had directed the company to pay a security deposit of nearly ₹1,000 crore to secure the ship’s release.

References: TOI, NewIndiaExpress

Source: Maritime Shipping News