Liability, awards and settlements

4.6, Rezzak disappearance, investigation

India: general cargo Rezzak , which disappeared in the Black Sea three months earlier, was allowed to sail with nearly 12 deficiencies, according to an interim safety investigation report by India’s maritime regulator, the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS). Family members of the 25 Indian crew, who disappeared with the vessel, plan to file a suit against the agency that allowed the vessel to sail. A DGS report said Rezzak had underestimated the severity of the weather and sea conditions for safe navigation before it left the Russian port of Novorossiysk. The vessel was detained by port authorities for 15 days to rectify 38 deficiencies, of which only 28 were fixed. Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, the agency that allowed Rezzak to sail after certifying its seaworthiness, had asked the vessel to attend to some of the remaining problems in the Turkish port of Bartin Limani, however, the vessel never made it there. Of the 38 deficiencies initially identified, 11 related to the stability, structure and related equipment, five deficiencies related to life-saving equipment, another five to fire safety, three to propulsion and auxiliary equipment, four to navigational safety, and one to radio communications. Some of the deficiencies which were not rectified were crucial. According to the interim report, the vessel had installed a new EPIRB, which was non-functional.