Italian Marine Held Over 'Enrica Lexie' Shooting Allowed to Return Home After Four Years in India
ROME, May 28 (Reuters) - An Italian marine who Indian prosecutors accuse of murdering two fishermen during an anti-piracy mission returned home on Saturday after four years in custody in New Delhi.
Salvatore Girone, who was held in custody at the Italian embassy in the Indian capital, is one of two marines arrested in 2012 over the fishermen's deaths during the operation to protect an Italian oil tanker.
The other marine, Massimiliano Latorre, is already back in Italy after suffering health problems.
The marines say they fired on the fishing boat because they thought the Italian ship they were assigned to protect, the Enrica Lexie, was under attack. Indian prosecutors accuse them of murdering the fishermen.
India's supreme court ruled earlier this week he was free to go home at least until Italy's dispute with India over jurisdiction in the case, which is now in international arbitration, is over.
Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti embraced the uniformed Girone when he arrived at Rome's Ciampino airport. He was also greeted by the foreign minister, the navy's top admiral and relatives.
India's Supreme Court said Girone must surrender his passport when he arrives in Italy and he will be required to return to India within a month of an order from the tribunal.
The long dispute over the incident has strained relations between India and Italy and its European Union partners.
In an effort to end legal wrangling, both countries last year agreed to move their dispute to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which also ruled Girone should be allowed to return home earlier this month.
Italy argues that the case should not be heard in India because the incident occurred in international waters. India has said it remains confident the tribunal will decide in its favour. (Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Helen Popper)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.Posted On:30-May-2016
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Australia Finds Detained Bulk Carrier's Crew Was Unable to Operate the Ship's ECDIS
Australian authorities have detained a Panama-flagged bulk carrier in Brisbane after officials found that the crew was untrained in the operation of the ship's electronic navigation equipment.
The Brisbane Times reports that the bulk carrier African Alke was detained Thursday after a port state control inspection revealed the bridge officers on board were unable to operate the ship’s ECDIS.
"The vessel was detained because the safety management system had not identified a lack of on board familiarisation training in the use of ECDIS," an AMSA spokesman told the Times.
"The ship's operators have flown an ECDIS trainer in from Singapore to train the crew," the spokesman added. "AMSA will release the ship from detention once it is satisfied the crew have been trained to an appropriate standard and can demonstrate the expected level of competency."
The African Alke was only recently delivered this past April and is on a long term charter with Jebmur Shipping, with Dubai-based MUR Shipping acting as manager. The crew is supplied by B&S Enterprise from Japan, the Brisbane Times reports.
The Maritime Union of Australia says that this just serves as a prime example why you shouldn't replace high-quality officers with cheap foreign crews on flag of convenience vessels.
Adding to the seriousness of the case, MUA Queensland branch secretary Bob Carnegie said that the ship had just sailed through the Great Barrier Reef on its journey to Brisbane from Mackay, Queensland. African Elke's voyage actually originated in Portland, Oregon, where it made its maiden voyage on the Columbia River in April.
AIS shows the African Alke moored in Brisbane as of Friday.Posted On:30-May-2016
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