A Kochi Port Trust ship pilot was seriously injured after a pilot ladder broke while he was disembarking from a container vessel near Kochi port, prompting Fort Kochi police to register a case against the ship’s captain and duty officer.
The accident occurred at about 9.20 pm on Tuesday at a disembarkation point roughly five nautical miles from Kochi port. The injured pilot was identified as 33-year-old M.S. Aneesh, a Kannur native who lives on rent in Mundamveli, Rameswaram.
Aneesh had escorted the SSL Bharat, a container ship carrying cargo from the Vallarpadam Container Terminal, through the Kochi channel towards the open sea. After the vessel safely crossed the channel, the pilot boat belonging to the port trust was positioned near the middle section of the ship for his return journey.
He began climbing down the vessel’s pilot ladder, a structure used by marine pilots to transfer between ships and boats. The ladder was about 12 metres long. It broke when Aneesh reached its middle section, causing him to fall along with the ladder towards the pilot boat. He suffered serious injuries to his leg and spine.
Aneesh was brought ashore in the same pilot boat and shifted to a private hospital in Ernakulam South. The report did not provide an update on his medical condition beyond stating that his injuries were serious.
After receiving information about the accident, the coastal police contacted the port trust and stopped the vessel’s voyage. A police scientific team inspected the ship and collected evidence. The broken ladder was taken into police custody for examination.
Fort Kochi police recorded the arrests of the captain and duty officer and released them after serving notices. The vessel left the coast on Friday after the required procedures were completed. Police also recorded the statement of Aneesh’s wife while registering the case.
The preliminary assessment cited in the report is that the ladder may have broken because a rope had deteriorated. The report said authorities suspect negligence on the part of the ship owners, but the investigation will determine responsibility. It did not identify the vessel owner or state whether any formal inspection finding had been issued.
People associated with the shipping sector described such accidents as rare. Pilot ladders are generally made using thick timber and solid rubber and are designed for high-risk transfers between vessels and pilot boats. A failure during disembarkation can result in a person falling into the sea, making the condition, installation and inspection of the ladder critical to safe port operations.
The immediate official steps reported in the case are the police investigation, scientific examination of the vessel and evidence collected from the damaged ladder. The vessel’s departure followed completion of the stated procedures.
