KOCHI: The curiosity has ended and the liability has begun. With more and more cases being filed against the crew and owners of Enrica Lexie, the vessel is proving to be a headache for the Cochin Port Trust (CPT).Though the Port Trust gets berth rent and other vessel-related charges, the unexpected arrival of Enrica Lexie to Kochi after getting involved in the killing of two fishermen off the Kollam coast is affecting the scheduled arrivals of tankers at the port.Currently, two tankers, Jawaharlal Nehru and Swaranakamal, have been waiting in the outer harbour of the Cochin Port for the last two days. Tanker vessel Jawaharlal Nehru was the first one to reach the outer harbour and then Swarnakamal.While the Cochin Port Trust exacted Rs 40 lakh from the agents of Enrica Lexie in terms of berth rent and other charges, the BPCL-Kochi Refinery has already paid a heavy price of around Rs 1.5 crore, following the Italian vessel’s arrival here for the first time, on February 17.The demurrage was paid for making other vessels wait in Kochi for no fault of theirs for four days - from February 17 and 20 - when Enrica Lexie was docked at the Cochin Oil Terminal (COT).The Italian ship was allotted berth at the COT on February 17 at 2 a.m. by shifting another tanker, Jag Prachi, which had berthed at the COT on the evening of February 16. Jag Prachi was about to start pumping furnace oil to the BPCL-KRL when it was asked to go back to the outer channel and await further orders. The demurrage for making vessels wait outside for no fault of theirs is approximately Rs 40 lakh a day.Meanwhile, Enrica Lexie was shifted to the outer anchorage on Monday morning from the COT. “Shifting to the outer anchorage does not mean that it can leave Kochi. It was shifted to make the berth available for other vessels. The Italian vessel will be under the surveillance of the law-enforcing agencies,” said Port Trust authorities.However, both Cochin Port Trust and the Kochi Refinery authorities have made it clear that they are not thinking of either the financial loss or other difficulties caused since it was an emergency situation, that too a matter of national interest.”Though the Port Trust will get the berth rent and other charges, prolonged detention will affect scheduled arrivals since we do not have an alternative facility to accommodate large-sized tanker vessels,” the authorities said.
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