Russian ship loaded with weapons seized at Indian port

Russia's MV MAIA-I ship loaded with weapons for the Indian Navy was arrested at the port of Kochi on a court order, The Times of India reports.

The lawsuit against the owners of the dry cargo ship was filed by Estonian shore service company Bunker Partner OU. According to the lawsuit, they failed to pay about $24,000 for fueling. The Kerala State Court allowed the crew to be unloaded at the time of arrest, since the cargo that the ship was carrying had nothing to do with the subject of the claim.

The ship currently remains under the jurisdiction of the Kochi Port Authority. Her status is listed as "moored". The seafarers' union in Russia said the captain of the ship had not contacted them yet.

In early July 2022, Turkey seized a Kazakhstani cargo ship. The ship was allegedly carrying Ukrainian grain under the Russian flag. The Ukrainian authorities appealed to Turkey with a request to detain and arrest the crew. Seven days later, the ship was allowed to leave the Turkish port.