Italian ship Enrica Lexie cannot leave the Kochi coast for another five days, despite the arrest of two Italian marine personnel and the ending of the negotiations between the Indian and Italian governments, police said.
The ship can set sail from the Indian shore only after a clear direction from the Indian side.
The admiralty petition that the kin of the killed fishermen are expected to file on Tuesday in the Kerala high court would delay the voyage of the ship, according to the sources.
“The ship may not be able to leave Kochi for another five days. It’s all up to the high court now … to consider the admiralty petition and decide upon the ship’s status,” said the central IG K. Padmakumar.
Cochin port trust chairman Paul Antony has been pushing the authorities to finish the formalities soon and let the Italian ship leave, as it has been causing heavy loss for the other ships. But, the police is adamant that the ship will have to wait until a word came from the court, saying the case is a priority for the Indian government,” he said.
According to sources, Enrica Lexie had a 30-member crew, with six Italian navy personnel on deputation, 23 employees and a captain. Of the 24 crew, 19 are Indians, including a Tamil who’s the only south Indian.