MUMBAI, APRIL 30: More than three months after a cargo ship with 25 Indian sailors went missing in the Black Sea, a preliminary investigation report has concluded that the vessel loaded with steel billets had underestimated the bad weather at that time and also possibly ignored the advice of another ship in the area to seek shelter.

The 26-year-old M V Rezzak was on its way from Novorossiisk in Russia to Bartin Limani in Turkey when it was reported missing in bad weather on February 18, about 120 nautical miles from the Turkish coast. Investigations found that the ship may also not have been sea-worthy while authorities have considered piracy and insurance fraud while the Ministry of Shipping has sought the help of Interpol to help know its fate.

The safety investigation conducted by the Indian Maritime Administration has been completed, said a statement issued on Wednesday by the Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS), whose investigator participated as an observer in the probe which collected evidence from Novorossiisk and Bartin Limani. “According to this report, M V Rezzak underestimated the prevailing weather and sea conditions. She sailed out in severe stormy weather conditions,” the statement said.

“Another vessel, M V Adnan Kaptan, also sailed from the port of Novorossiisk around the same time and took shelter in the proximity of land (Turkish Coast) close to Sinop,” it said. “Reportedly, the Master of this vessel advised M V Rezzak to take shelter. However, M V Rezzak altered course and decided to continue on her voyage to Bartin Limani along the coast. The report concludes that M V Rezzak underestimated the severity of the prevailing weather.”

While recommending ships to give “utmost importance” to the prevailing weather and sea conditions for safe navigation, the DGS said that it was continuing to pressure Panama, where Rezzak was registered, to search for the ship and even consider the feasibility of an underwater survey. The “piracy and fraud angles” that have been raised could not be dismissed until the vessel is located, it said, adding that Interpol was also being pursued through the CBI in all three countries to investigate the matter urgently.

Investigators and shipping authorities have all along suspected that M V Rezzak might have sunk in bad weather, as there were “gale-like conditions” in the Black Sea at the time. However, questions were raised as the Mumbai firm which supplied the sailors to the ship, Pelican Marine Pvt Ltd, asked the families of the crew to go through procedures needed to claim insurance within a week of the ship going missing even though investigators had not come to any conclusion. Pelican said it believed all the 25 men were dead.

The vessel, also thought to be overloaded, was being tracked by its owner who had not informed the military port about its arrival as required under maritime rules. The only crucial evidence found by the rescue team off the Turkish Coast was one punctured life raft with the name ‘ASEAN ENERGY’, which was the previous name of the ship.

The Sunday Express had reported that an inspection conducted by port authorities in Novorossiisk before the ship set sail had found 37 deficiencies that may have endangered the lives of the crew. The vessel’s certification agency said it was allowed to sail despite its inability to fix three important deficiencies as it could not be done in Novorossiisk.