Officials suspect human error behind collision

Investigators probing the collision between MSC Chitra and MV Khalijia III off the coast of Mumbai on Saturday suspect that human error on the part of one or both navigators of the vessels was responsible for the incident.

MSC Chitra had moved out of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust JNPT on Saturday while Khalijia III was moving to dock at the Mumbai Port Trust for repairs,when the incident happened.

The exact cause of the mishap would be known only after a detailed investigation instituted by the Director General of Shipping,but it appears that it was human error on the part of the navigators, a senior official said. The investigation will primarily look into log records and navigational commands between the Vessel Traffic Management System VTMS at the port and the ships.