A cargo ship from Panama has been missing since Monday in the Black Sea. The crew included 25 Indians, four of whom hail from Mumbai.
Five days of intensive searching by the International Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) found no traces of the vessel or its crew. However, a life raft from the MV Rezzak was spotted drifting about five nautical miles off the coast of Turkey.
The vessel, managed by CMR Denizcilik ve Ticaret of Turkey, was manned by Pelican Marine, a company based in Mumbai. It was carrying a cargo of steel billets from Russia to Turkey.
At about 0110 GMT (0640 IST) on February 18, the ship lost contact with tracking centers. It was then confirmed missing.
A report by a national daily quoted Pelican Marine’s director, Biswas Santosh, as saying that the weather conditions that day had been gale-like..
“We received information that the vessel is missing on Monday evening,” Santosh informed DNA. “Rezzak left Novorossiysk (Russia) on February 17 and was to reach Bartin (in Turkey) the next morning.”
The crew’s families were informed on Tuesday.
Overseas Indian Affairs minister, Vayalar Ravi said, “We are in touch with the Turkish government.”
Ravi affirmed that Turkey had not been able to trace the vessel.
“They have not found any debris yet,” he said.
Here is a list of the Indian crew-members:
| 1 | Bharat Bhusahan Goswami |
| 2 | Rajesh Kumar Sarangi |
| 3 | Pankaj Tyagi
|
| 4 | Afroz Ahmed |
| 5 | Lucas Sesumebler |
| 6 | Anthony Alangaram Pieo |
| 7 | Akeel Ul Rahman Shafeeque Baumubinge |
| 8 | Kishore Kumar Roy |
| 9 | Mahendra Gopalkrishna Menon |
| 10 | Hemant Anant Shinde |
| 11 | Christopher Meyers |
| 12 | Alok Kumar |
| 13 | Pritam Singh |
| 14 | Harish Chandra Bhatt |
| 15 | Ashokkumar Dhukhi Prajapati |
| 16 | Hriday Narayan Ramjee Chauhan |
| 17 | Shanavas Dadahildgothi |
| 18 | Farooque Lombomouge |
| 19 | Sajid Hajikagothi |
| 20 | Asif Donkage Kudage |
| 21 | Sameerudheen Donhavvagothi |
| 22 | Hussain Mavadigothi |
| 23 | Kudage Mohammed Kundiganduge |
| 24 | Mohammed Koruhajige Athirige |
| 25 | Muthegebidharuge Hussain |