Master of Wakashio still in custody more than a year after grounding
Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar twice denied bail by Mauritius’ criminal courts.
The master of the 203,000-dwt bulker Wakashio that went aground in Mauritius in 2020 and caused the country’s worst environmental disaster, is still in custody after more than a year in gaol.
Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, a 58-year-old Indian national has twice been refused bail by Mauritian authorities who consider him a flight risk, even though police hold his passport and seafarer documents.
The Wakashio’s chief officer and other crew members also remain in custody and are being detained as witnesses to the accident. Some of the crew have been away from home for more than 18 months.
The vessel went aground at Pointe d’Esny after Nandeshwar permitted the ship to close the coast to within five nautical miles so that crew members could get a mobile phone signal and make contact with their loved ones.
