Goa High Court bars entry of 2,000-guest offshore casino vessel into Mandovi

The High Court of Bombay at Goa, via an interim order on Wednesday, restrained the entry of an offshore casino vessel into the River Mandovi until further orders as it continues to hear pleas challenging a government order that authorised a new 112-metre-long, 28-metre-wide, seven-storey vessel to replace an existing vessel with a capacity of 70 guests. Petitioners from Panaji and Reis Magos argued berth permission was granted despite objections from the captain of ports and the secretary of ports, citing navigational hazards due to clustering that could create a bottleneck at mooring positions. They also contended that the new vessel would have more guest capacity than all other casino vessels in the Mandovi combined. The court noted that the vessel does not possess a certificate of survey under the Merchant Shipping Act, and directed that it shall not sail into Panjim Port without obtaining all required certifications and prior permission of the court. The certificate of survey is described as being issued by an authorised surveyor and delivered to the registrar before registry.