Case filed against captain of Panama-registered ship over fishing boat collision off Kerala coast

Police have registered a case against the captain of a Panama-registered ship that crashed into a fishing boat off the Kerala coast, leaving two fishermen missing and nine fishermen rescued, officials said on Monday (March 9, 2026).

Vizhinjam Coast Police registered the case against the captain of the said ship. Solis.

The case was registered on Sunday following a complaint filed by Ramesh Mathew of Kollam Sakthikulangara, owner of the St Joseph fishing boat, who had gone fishing on Friday night.

The FIR said the missing crew members were West Bengal native Badal Das (23) and Laxman Das (45). Five fishermen from West Bengal and four from Tamil Nadu were rescued, police said.

“The defendant traveled on the Panama-flagged ship while assuming responsibility for the captain. Solis Passing through the ship canal in a culpable and negligent manner that endangers human life. The FIR said that on March 7, around 2.30 pm in the Arabian Sea region, about 70 nautical miles from Vizhinjam and 53 nautical miles from Colachel in Tamil Nadu, the ship collided with a fishing trawler named St Joseph.

The FIR also said that the trawler sank following the accident, causing a loss of around 1.5 million rupees to its owner.

Police said the case was registered under Sections 282 (rash or negligent navigation of a ship endangering human life), 125(a) (negligent act causing injury), 125(b) (negligent act causing grievous hurt) and 324 (mischief causing damages) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Indian Coast Guard said on Sunday that the search for the missing fishermen was continuing.

The nine rescued fishermen were brought to Vizhinjam on Sunday and admitted to hospitals for treatment.

The Director General of Maritime Affairs also ordered an investigation into the incident.