Totapalle Gudur police, investigating the disappearance of Chinese cargo vessel MV Ocean Gem’s captain, are awaiting the arrival of the ship’s former captain SM Ejas.
Police hope any information given by Ejas will be useful in resolving the mystery.
Police also are waiting to open the locker allotted to captain Zang Ming Qiang, who has been missing since Monday last.
Police hope it will provide information regarding to the disappearance of the captain.
Meanwhile, search operations are on to trace 38-yearold captain Qiang at Krishnapatnam.
According to Totapalle Gudur SI K Sambasiva Rao, police are continuing searches along the coast in the district in coordination with marine police.
They received information on Monday last at 9. 30 pm that the captain was missing, from J Murali Krishna, shipping agent of Admiral Ship Company to which the cargo vessel belongs.
It is learnt that at first the police thought of registering a case of suicide, based on circumstantial evidence.
But they dropped the idea after receiving a message from the shipping company, which Qiang had sent in Mandarin from his personal computer a day before he went missing.
Police said they might more information on what could have led to Qiang’s disappearance only after breaking open his personal locker on the ship on Saturday.
The SI said MV Ocean Gem, which brought coal from China to Krishnapatnam on Sept 18, anchored about 7 nautical miles from the port and waited to load granite.
After loading operations on Sept 23, the ship was waiting for tax clearance.