The owner, the Captain and the third officer of the Italian oil tanker ‘Vulcanello’ were arrested Thursday in connection to a suspected collision with a trawler, which killed three fishermen in May 2020.
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According to local media, the three were arrested after an inspection of the hull found marks of a collision, believed to have been with the trawler ‘Nuova Iside’, which sank off northwestern Sicily and led to the drowning of three trawlermen.
The Nuova Iside sent a distress message while operating in the area on 12 May. Palermo port authorities launched a search and two bodies were recovered. Another body was found on the coast of Calabria one month later.
Following investigation on the sinking, the Italian Coast Guard seized the VDR of the Vulcanello.
Now, the Captain and third mate were charged with manslaughter and causing a shipwreck, while the owner has been charged with legal fraud and aiding and abetting and was placed under house arrest.
The victims were the trawler’s captain, his father and his cousin.
In our hearts we knew that something strange happened that night. Our husbands were experienced seamen and woudl never have put themselves in harm’s way. What has now happened confirms what we thought. Now we are trusting in the work of the judiciary because we want full justice. Our loved ones will never come back but those who did wrong must pay,
…the trio’s wives were quoted as saying by Italian news agency ANSA this week.
