The Hindu Business Line : Shipping Ministry to review seafarers' service conditions

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Mumbai Feb. 21 The death of a 26-year-old marine officer on board an SCI tanker last week has got the Union Government to take an urgent review of the service conditions of seafarers employed in Indian ships.

The Shipping Ministry is understood to have taken a serious view of the incident as the deceased seafarer Vivek Singh Bist was sailing for 11 months without a break.

The young officer from Dehradun allegedly jumped into the sea when he was told that his reliever was yet to report to duty.

He was said to be extremely homesick and had earlier threatened to end his life if not allowed to go on leave.

Cause of death

Normally, a seafarer signs off after seven months sailing. In the absence of a reliever, he would work for another month or two on request, said a seamen's union official.

But Bist, a second officer, was on board for 11 months and his request for leave was rejected on the ground that a reliever was not immediately available, said the union official.

A senior official of Shipping Corporation of India confirmed that the officer was continuously on board for 11 months, but said he was not sure whether he committed suicide or died of an accident.

The cause of the death will be known only after the enquiry, he said.

Like other Indian shipping lines, he said, SCI too is facing an acute shortage of marine officers.

Shortage of officers

Currently, it is short of 200 officers to comply with the statutory manning scale.

The Union Shipping Minister, Mr T.R. Baalu, who held a meeting with SCI officials and union representatives, has ordered an enquiry into the incident.

He is also understood to have told SCI not to retain seamen on board beyond the stipulated number of days.

The Director-General of Shipping has convened a meeting of shipping companies' ship mangers later this week in Mumbai to seek their views on shortage of officers.

The Government, which has agreed to allow Indian shipping lines to recruit foreign crew, is yet to come out with an official announcement.

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