KOCHI: For many of the families of the 51 souls aboard the MV Kairali, time froze on June 30, 1979. While 46 years to the day have painfully passed since the ship set sail from Goa, for them, the vessel is forever afloat, its phantom silhouette perpetually poised to dock.
The cruellest trick of the unresolved tragedy is the imagined stasis of their loved ones: Forever young, forever sailing, and never ageing. Closure, a comforting harbour, remains elusive, a horizon that stubbornly refuses to draw near.
The missing cargo vessel of the state-owned Kerala Shipping Corporation was carrying 20,000 tonnes of iron ore to the East German port of Rostock from Margao, via Djibouti. The last radio contact was on July 3, and the ship was expected to refuel on July 8 at Djibouti. The world first came to know about the radio silence of the vessel on July 11, and the first official news was published on July 15.
Godwin Josey was just six when he heard the news on the radio that MV Kairali had gone missing. His father, Padapurakkal Augustine Josey, a 43-year-old engine room kasab, was among those who vanished. He recalls visiting the office of the now-defunct company the next day with his mother and relatives.
Battle for answers
For years, families and relatives of the missing sailors waged a relentless battle for answers about the ship’s fate. Godwin vividly recalls his mother’s unwavering determination: “For nearly a decade, she attended every meeting of the action committee, met with ministers and well-wishers in Thiruvananthapuram, and I would accompany her as a child, witnessing her anguish.”
For Kottayam resident Jose Paikkada, memories of his 22-year-old brother Gilbert Paikkada, the fifth engineer, remain a painful reminder of the unresolved tragedy.
“My brother was a simple, soft-spoken soul who had just passed his BTech from Kothamangalam Engineering College and secured admission for MTech in Thiruvananthapuram when he decided to join the ship,” Jose said, his voice still filled with longing.
“He was only in his ninth month of sailing when he vanished.”
Jose, a key member of the action committee, recalls the numerous speculations surrounding the ship’s disappearance.
“One theory suggests that the vessel was overloaded with iron ore, exceeding its 19,000-tonne capacity, in a blatant disregard for safety norms,” he says.
Several theories floated
“The failure to balance the cargo properly may have caused it to shift in rough waves, ultimately leading to the ship’s demise. Another theory points to the ship’s radar being under repair, with Capt Mariyadas Joseph initially refusing to sail on July 3. However, he was allegedly forced to set sail that evening without completing repairs,” Jose adds.
"This vulnerability, combined with the adverse weather, may have contributed to the ship breaking apart and sinking.”
He also mentions speculation about a potential hijacking by pirates. Jose also questions the transparency of the shipping company’s actions, citing their slow response to the crisis.
“What’s striking is that the shipping company received a telex message from Pan Arabia, a Singapore-based company, offering to help locate the ship and crew," he recalls.
"The message was cryptic, with a “no cure, no pay” condition, and demanded $300,000 for the mission. The representative of Pan Arabia, a Keralite, even met with government officials in the state. However, the search operation never materialised due to various factors, including a change in government,” he said.
Jose adds that there was a mysterious incident involving the Indian Navy, which claimed to have spotted the vessel near an island in the Indian Ocean, only to later retract the statement.
Speaking to TNIE on the second anniversary of his mother’s passing, Godwin, who followed in his father’s footsteps by taking to sailing, recalled the emotional toll of the tragedy on his family.
Holding on to hope
“My mother never performed any funeral rites for my father, holding on to hope for years,” he said.
The compensation of around Rs 80,000, received a decade later, barely covered the expenses incurred in searching for the ship and crew.
“She spent years praying, crying, and fighting for answers,” he said.
Jose poignantly notes that his family hasn’t performed any funeral rites for his missing brother.
“Most family members of the crew still grapple with uncertainty, and many have passed away without ever knowing the fate of their loved ones,” he says.