Family alleges ‘non-cooperation’ by ship operator in missing cadet case

Bhubaneswar: Family members of the missing Odia merchant navy cadet Sarthak Mohapatra alleged non-cooperation by officials of Anglo-Eastern, the company that operates the vessel EA Jersey, from which he went missing off the Mauritius coast on Feb 3.His mother, Rashmita Mohapatra, and uncle, Santosh Sahu, reached Singapore on Sunday to oversee efforts to trace Sarthak after the vessel docked at a local port there. Sahu, however, said they were only allowed to enter the cabin that was used by Sarthak but they were not allowed to look into other areas of the vessel or the containers on it. “We hoped to get some clarity on the situation that led to his disappearance but we were not allowed into any other part of the vessel or to interact with anyone,” he said.Sahu further alleged that when he attempted to speak with other crew members, two HR officials of Anglo-Eastern stopped him. The family was accompanied by two senior officials from the directorate-general of shipping, who interacted with the crew. However, Sahu claimed there were inconsistencies in the statements provided.“We specifically requested a dog squad and a scientific team to examine the vessel, but that was not arranged,” he alleged.

On Monday, Rashmita and Sahu met the Indian high commissioner in Singapore and sought his intervention in the case. The high commissioner reportedly assured them of full cooperation in tracing Sarthak.The family also requested access to the vessel’s voyage data recorder (VDR) and CCTV footage, which they believe could shed light on the cadet’s disappearance. Earlier, the company informed them that the VDR and CCTV recordings would be shared once the vessel reached Singapore, but this was not done, Sahu alleged.The vessel sailed for China on Monday. Sarthak was missing for the past 14 days, and his family was scheduled to return from Singapore on Tuesday.