COLUMN | Emergency towing vessels: more muscle to defend the coasts [Grey Power]

Somebody, which clearly means insurers, is going to have to pay for this lot, and the assumption is that they will have to pay a lot more than they might have done just a few years ago.

It is significant that the Indian authorities have already opened criminal proceedings against just about every interest involved in the two ships, afloat and ashore. That is increasingly par for the course these days, as cargo should not explode, nor ships fall on their sides and sink in 2025, without somebody being held to account.

However, a secondary consequence of any such accidents these days is that there will be political pressure for any government to upgrade coastal protection, to mitigate the effects of marine accidents within their sea areas, which, in effect, means emergency towing vessels (ETVs) with a range of appropriate capabilities.

True to form, the Indian Government, noting that such vessels are available out of their bases in Mumbai and Chennai, has demanded that such coverage be extended around the full length of the country's huge coastline.