Cruise ship Starstar Libra gets "detained"

Malaysian passenger vessel 'Star Libra' was Tuesday held at the Kadamat island on court orders following a petition by a Mumbai-based couple seeking compensation for the accidental drowning of their baby in November. The Lakshadweep Iceland Administration Tuesday 'arrested' the vessel on the orders of the Kerala High Court. Later, it was released and allowed to proceed to Mumbai after its officials furnished a Rs.1 million bank guarantee to the court. Under the international maritime laws, a ship is regarded as a person and could be arrested on court orders, said experts. The couple, Mehul Shah and Natasha Shah, had moved a Malaysian court, seeking $10-million compensation from the vessel's firm Star Cruises.

Their 14-month-old baby, Neuna, had drowned off the Kadamat Island near Lakshadweep after a vessel transporting her to the island from the luxury liner capsized. Joy Thattil, the counsel for the Shahs, said that the couple approached the high court to become the first claimant over the compensation and the court passed the order for the arrest of the cruise liner last week. 'Now the Shahs would get the first lien (claim), even if there are other cases filed in any other country for the accident,' said Thattil. 'The arrest took place at the Kadamat Island by the officials of the island administrators today morning and after they furnished a bank guarantee of Rs.10 lakhs in the Kerala High Court it was allowed to travel to Mumbai,' said Thattil.

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