Indian Deck Officer Trainee Working At Japan-Flagged Car & Truck Carrier Goes Missing

An Indian seafarer, working as a deck officer trainee onboard a car and truck carrier, Victorious Ace, owned and operated by Mitsui O.S.K Lines, has been missing since Wednesday.

The family of the youth, who is from Kochi, Kerela have sought help from the government to find their son, Shinton Benny, a native of Manattuparambu, near Njarackal.

The family said that the company informed them that Benny was missing from the ship. The company officials said that the carrier was en route to Singapore from South Africa and was originally scheduled to arrive at its destination on Friday.

However, it returned to look for the missing crew member and will now arrive in Singapore on Sunday. Further search would be conducted only after the ship’s arrival.

Beyond this, the family was not given any other details, Shinton Benny’s elder brother Sharon Benny told an Indian Daily.

The family has also registered an FIR with the Njarackal police and written letters to Chief Minister V.D Satheesan, Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi and Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden.

Shinton Benny had remained on the vessel for the last 5 months and will finish his 6-month training next month.

According to his family, the missing Indian seafarer had contacted them last Tuesday night and on Wednesday, they received information that he was nowhere to be found.

“We have learnt that there are two people from Kerala, one from Chalakudy and another from Thiruvananthapuram, onboard the ship, but we have not been able to contact them,” Mr Sharon said.

The Ernakulam MP met the family and told them to take up their concern with the DG Shipping, the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence. He would also write to MEA and the Defence Ministry to find the missing deck trainee as soon as possible.