A Russian cargo ship Sevastopol was detained by Indian Coast Guards in international waters after orders from Madras High Court

The Russian cargo ship Sevastopol which is owned by Vladivostok shipping company was detained by the Indian coast guards in international waters. The ship was detained when it was leaving Mumbai sea port and now it is anchored in international waters 14 miles from the shore, said media reports.

Local authorities told media that ship was detained by coast guards on the orders of the Madras High Court. The ship and its entire cargo team was arrested by the authorities and detained in Mumbai. The reason of detaining the cargo crew and ship refers to a commercial dispute between the Russian ship owner, shipping company and the Indian counterpart. Russian authorities urged the Indian counterpart to quickly resolve the dispute and facilitate the resolution of the situation.

On Thursday, chairman of the Eastern Regional Organization of the Russian Sailors’ Trade Union, Nikolai Sukhanov has said that the Indian court has officially released the Russian Ship Sevastopol. The court fined the ship owner $200,000 as the captain of the ship attempted to sail away from the ruling of the court, but coast guards detained the ship.

The ship was let go after the amount was paid in full. The fine was first transferred to the Indian court’s account and then released to the Indian company. The vessel now stands at the Mumbai’s unloading dock.

The major outstanding dispute is salaries of the crew on board the ship. To resolve this dispute an inspector from international Transport Workers Federation visited the ship on Thursday; he recorded all the discussions and evidences that will help the foundation to resolve the issue.

While talking to the media, he said that according to the sailors’ union the crew has not been paid for two months. He warned the shipping company that if the company does not proceed with the payments, the ship may again face difficulties in departing.

Referring to the Maritime Labour Convention, Sukhanov said that the non-payment of salaries is a very serious violation of maritime rules. It provides very strong basis to detain the ship until the payment of salaries. The ship owner is aware of this rule and authorities hope that payment of 3 million rubles will soon be released for the salaries of crew.