An Indian court has ordered the arrest of a Vietnamese bulker three months after cocaine worth $26m was found on board.
The 37,000-dwt Panama-flag Debi (built 2012) has been held in the port of Paradip since the end of November when 22kg of the drug was discovered.
Justice V Narasingh of Orissa High Court has now ordered the ship to be arrested as part of an admiralty suit launched by Paradip International Cargo Terminal to recover port dues of INR 79.5m ($959,000).
At least 21 crew members, including Captain Vu Kang Dinh, remain on the Debi, which is anchored 10km from the port, the Hindustan Times reported.
The Panama-flag bulker arrived in Paradip on 29 November from Gresik in Indonesia. The ultimate destination was said to be Denmark.
A total of 22 packets of cocaine were found fixed to the ship’s cranes by magnets.
Earlier in February a court in Odisha ordered the owner of the bulker to provide an INR 1bn indemnity bond and INR 100m bank guarantee for its release from detention.
In January, the third engineer was rescued after jumping from the ship.
A report said morale had plummeted among the crew of Vietnamese nationals after authorities confiscated phones and laptops.
An altercation had taken place among some of the seafarers on the vessel the day before.
The seafarer, identified as Bui Cong Hou, was said to be in a stable condition.
No arrests have been made in the drug investigation.
The Debi’s operator, Asia Pacific Shipping of Vietnam, has been contacted for further information.
