MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday issued notice to central and state governments on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking direction to conduct a safety inspection before allowing a ship, which ran aground while entering VOC Port in Thoothukudi, to leave Indian waters.
Petitioner K Rajan, a former cargo ship captain from Kanniyakumari, stated that the ship MV NAVIX which was carrying over 39,000 tonnes of sulphur, ran aground on July 29, one mile away from the breakwater at the port entrance and remained grounded for two days, before being pulled back into the waters and berthed for unloading.
Since the vessel carried hazardous cargo, it should be verified whether there was any environmental impact due to the grounding incident, he added. Counsel for VOC Port, informed the bench of justices SM Subramaniam and AD Maria Clete that that necessary inspection has been conducted. The case was adjourned for two weeks.