Ernakulam: The Fisheries Department fined two boat owners in Kochi Rs 2.5 lakh each on Thursday for allowing a movie crew to use the vessels for an at-sea shoot without prior approval.

According to a press release issued by the Fisheries Department, during an inspection conducted as part of the Indian Navy's ongoing Sea Vigil coastal security exercise, the Coastal Police informed the Vypin Fisheries Station about two boats engaged in unauthorized film shooting in the Chellanam area in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday. 

The Vypin Fisheries Marine Enforcement team inspected the boats, Bharat Ratna and Bharat Sagar, at 1.30 pm and found that they lacked the required special permits from the Fisheries Department to operate at sea and conduct film shooting, the release added.

The department also said it found that the 33-member film crew aboard the boats were not wearing any safety equipment, PTI reported. 

Both the boats were subsequently taken to the Vypin Fisheries Marine Enforcement berth and placed under custody, the release stated. Special permission from the Fisheries Department is required to use a fishing vessel for non-fishing purposes, an official said.

This permission is granted only after evaluating the vessel's operational efficiency, the condition of life-saving equipment, the permitted passenger capacity, and verifying all necessary legal documents, he added.