The chief officer of a Maltese-registered tanker who has been charged with the manslaughter of five French crewmen yesterday asked for his case to be concluded quickly.

A magisterial inquiry had identified Chief Officer Vasiliy Ogarkov and Able Seaman Alexandrs Belikovs as being responsible for the deaths.

The men were aboard the Malta-registered Sichem Pandora when it struck the Kleinne Familie in the English Channel on January 5, 2006. The Kleinne Familie sank, leading to the deaths of Franck and Ludovic Heroville, Frederic Terpereau, Olivier Brusa and Thierry Gouselain.

A 103-page inquiry report concluded the two crewmen should be held criminally liable for breach of obligation to help vessels in distress, breach of duty to give assistance to people in danger at sea and breach of mandatory duty to report accidents.

Mr Ogarkov yesterday requested that the proceedings be moved on swiftly because he lived with his family in Russia.

He was charged last Saturday and has been out on bail since then.

His lawyer, Steve Tonna Lowell, said that if they had an idea of how much evidence there was for the court to sift through, Mr Ogarkov would be able to travel to Malta from Russia for the sittings.

A European Arrest Warrant has been issued against Mr Belikovs, who is not in Malta.

The case continues.

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