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Business Standard
15-07-2025
- Business Standard
Maritime incidents involving India and its seafarers rose 22% in 2024
Incidents in the maritime sector involving Indian seafarers, and foreign vessels in Indian waters rose by 21.6 per cent in 2024 to 186, highlighting the need to strengthen safety frameworks. According to India's shipping regulator Directorate General (DG) of Shipping, the incidents resulted in 83 deaths and 61 injuries. 'The majority of deaths were linked to other casualties, highlighting the need for crew welfare focus. Timely reporting and preventive actions remain crucial to minimise risks and safeguard lives. Continuous monitoring and corrective measures are essential to strengthen maritime safety standards,' DG Shipping said in its Maritime Safety Investigation Report 2024.
Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Indian Express
A marine engineer's death in Iran, a misidentified body, and Jharkhand family's endless wait for compensation
When he heard of his older brother's death in a workplace accident in Iran, the ground slipped beneath Raghu Mahto's feet. What followed was an ordeal involving misidentified bodies, bureaucratic apathy, and the long wait for compensation. On March 27, Raghu's brother Alakh Nandan Mahto from Tartara village in West Singhbhum district's Manoharpur died at an 'accident' on board the MV Rasa at Charak Port, a ship under the Iran's shipping company BND Yat Ship Management Services — an agency approved by the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping). Another engineer was killed in the accident and a third was severely wounded. All three were Indians In the days that followed, the family had received the wrong body and ran into multiple bureaucratic walls as they continued to wait for compensation. But all they have from the shipping company is a vague email in the first week of May. That email, a response to several emails the family sent, said it 'needs time.' 'Even now, over three months since the incident, no one from the Jharkhand government, the employer, or DG Shipping has committed to giving us compensation,' Raghu told The Indian Express. On its part, the DG Shipping claims it blocked BND Marine's licence in late 2024 after some violations. When contacted, Anita Sinha, a senior DG Shipping official, confirmed that the department was 'actively' pursuing the matter. But she also admitted there were 'some complications' – such as Alakh's name being listed against another vessel. 'We've taken this up with foreign embassies, including our Indian mission in Iran and the flag states. We are following up with the agency and the P&I (Protection and indemnity) Club too,' she said. 'This case is of the highest priority to us.' However, Raghu remains sceptical, wondering how, if the company was blocked in August 2024, did it continue to send engineers abroad till March 2025. 'They say the immigration records show my brother was assigned to a different ship, but he died on another one. How is that my brother's fault? Isn't it DG Shipping's job to track this?' he asked. According to the family, Alakh had always dreamed of working at sea. After getting a mechanical engineering degree from a college in Chennai in 2013, he worked briefly at Maruti Suzuki before enrolling in the Graduate Marine Engineering (GME) course – a pre-sea training programme approved by the Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping). Since then, he worked on rotation-based contracts, travelling previously to Iran, Andaman, and Kolkata ports. In August, he was posted at BND Yat Ship Management Services. After the mishap, the family rushed to DG Shipping's HQ office in Mumbai, where they were told that there was no official communication on the incident. In the days that followed, multiple government departments, the local district police, the Labour Ministry, and the shipping office were looped in. Despite these efforts, it took one month for the body to arrive in Kolkata. But the family was in for a shock – when the coffin was opened, they found that the body inside belonged, not to Alakh, but to another crew member – a man from Uttar Pradesh. Raghu then contacted his father and travelled to Uttar Pradesh to hand over the body. 'Nobody from the government helped. We paid from our pocket for ambulances, legal formalities, coordination with departments… I even carried someone else's body to Uttar Pradesh and returned before finally receiving my brother's remains,' Raghu recounted. 'After a week in May, we received the right body.' Meanwhile, the wait for compensation to be given continues. While the family is seeking ex-gratia assistance under Chief Minister Jharkhand International Migrant Worker Grant Scheme, the latter has said they are ineligible. Under the scheme, in the event of an untimely death during a worker's stay abroad, a lump sum payment of Rs 5 lakh will be made to the dependents of eligible beneficiaries by the appropriate deputy commissioner. 'According to the policy, for ex gratia assistance in such cases, a valid family income certificate showing annual income below Rs 72,000 is mandatory. Without that, we cannot give the compensation. The deceased's family has explained this,' Avinash Thakur, the district labour superintendent officer of West Singhbhum, said. Meanwhile, West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner Chandan Kumar said he 'wasn't aware of the case'. But Raghu disputes this saying he had spoken to the deputy commissioner. 'The deputy commissioner and the district labour department say we're not eligible because our family income exceeds Rs 72,000/year. But they don't look at the costs — bringing back the body, repeated travel to Mumbai, emotional toll…Even Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers get more than Rs 6,000 for their work,' Raghu said. Shubham Tigga hails from Chhattisgarh and studied journalism at the Asian College of Journalism. He previously reported in Chhattisgarh on Indigenous issues and is deeply interested in covering socio-political, human rights, and environmental issues in mainland and NE India. Presently based in Pune, he reports on civil aviation, other transport sectors, urban mobility, the gig economy, commercial matters, and workers' unions. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn ... Read More
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Maritime body sounds alarm on DG order on retiring 20-year-old ships, calls for urgent policy reforms
Over 700 Indian-flagged vessels, mostly operating in coastal and near-shore routes, are expected to be retired prematurely due to age-based restrictions being imposed by DG Shipping, said officials of International Maritime Federation (IMF). The move would render over 20,000 seafarers jobless and impact the livelihood of more than one lakh people, they said. Shipping industry leaders, seafarer advocates, shipowners, policy experts, and technology officers under the banner of IMF on Tuesday called for urgent policy reforms for the survival of the sector. They were objecting DG Shipping's Order 6/2023 on vessel-age norms and the penalty mechanisms imposed on Recruitment and Placement Services Licence (RPSL) companies. According to IMF officials, as per the DG Shipping Order, 20-year-old ships will be scrapped. 'The blanket ban on age of the ship and disproportionate RPSL penalties are not just operational hurdles, they are existential threats to India's maritime ecosystem' said Capt. Nalin Pandey, CMD-Pentagon Marine. IMF officials said a comprehensive global dataset of over 1,30,000 commercial vessels and 3,70,000 inspections found that older vessels, especially those that have operated safely for over 25 years, often demonstrate better safety records than newer ships. 'This is attributed to rigorous maintenance practices and survivorship bias, older ships that are still operational tend to be inherently more robust and better maintained,' they added. Capt. Ramji S. Krishnan, a Sloan Fellow from London Business School, said 'The world does not sail by age, it sails by condition. If our classification societies and safety inspections say a ship is fit, then who are we to call it unfit just because it is old?' Officials said if age norms threaten the vessels, DG Shipping's RPSL penalty framework threatens the recruiters who connect Indian seafarers to ships. Capt. Raj Sinha, Chairman, Marine Solutions also Ex Chairman (IMF) said instead of a consultative mechanism, RPSL companies are penalised, blocked on portals, and fined heavily, often without the opportunity for appeal. IMF officials said the phasing out of over 700 older vessels would create a capacity vacuum that cannot be filled quickly or cheaply and foreign flagged vessels will fill the gap. The IMF has called for replacement of age norms with safety and maintenance-based standards, withdrawal of revision of Order 6/2023, pending transparent consultation, introduction of a 3-strike graded penalty system for RPSL firms and creation of a centralized grievance redressal and appeals mechanism among others.
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Watch: How Indian Coast Guard averted a major tragedy after two shipping accidents
Two shipping accidents off the coast of Kerala a fortnight apart, on May 24 and June 9, posed multiple challenges for India's maritime agencies. The Liberian-flagged MSC Elsa 3 sank off the Kochi coast after the Indian Coast Guard rescued all its crew members. After the DG Shipping issued an ultimatum to the shipping company and the salvors, capping operations have been done to ensure that there's no oil spillage. Meanwhile, a multiagency effort led by the Disaster Management Authorities is under way to collect and safely dispose of nurdles that washed ashore following the ship's sinking. MV Wan Hai 503 reported an explosion onboard and caught fire some 44 nautical miles off Azhikkal in Kannur. In this case too, the Coast Guard rescued most of the crew, and fought fire without a break since the ship began to list and drift towards the shore. Despite inclement weather and the raging fire, a towline was established and the ship is now being towed away from the Indian coast. Both ships had mixed cargo which also included some hazardous and noxious material. In this conversation, DIG Ashish Mehrotra, who commands the Coast Guard's district headquarters no. 4 that oversees Kerala and Mahe, talks about how the maritime agency responded and averted a major tragedy along the Indian coast. Reporting: S. Anandan Production: Shikha Kumari Editing: BR Asif
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Business Standard
13-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
India issues security alert for seafarers, vessels in Strait of Hormuz
Amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, India's maritime regulator—the Directorate General of Shipping—has asked Indian shippers and maritime stakeholders to remain vigilant while transiting through one of the world's busiest trade routes, the Strait of Hormuz. 'Kind reference is made to the advisory issued on social media by the Embassy of India, Tehran, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, dated 13 June. In view of the same, all Indian-flagged vessels and Indian seafarers calling at ports of Iran and transiting through the Strait of Hormuz are advised to exercise due caution while operating in or navigating through the region,' DG Shipping said in a maritime advisory on Friday. According to industry estimates, nearly a third of the world's liquefied natural gas and almost a fourth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz. In its advisory on Friday, the Indian Embassy in Iran urged all Indian nationals and persons of Indian origin in Iran to remain vigilant, avoid all unnecessary movements, follow the Embassy's social media accounts and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities. Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated in recent days, and global maritime watchers and traders have flagged an imminent threat to ocean trade arising from the conflict. 'All Indian seafarers, RPSL (Recruitment and Placement Services Licence) companies, shipping companies, trade unions, INSA (Indian National Shipowners' Association), FOSMA (Foreign Owner and Ship-Managers Association), MASSA (Maritime Association of Shipowners Shipmanagers and Agents), and all other stakeholders are strongly advised to monitor the safety and status of Indian crew onboard vessels operating in Iranian waters. Seafarers in Iran are requested to remain vigilant,' the DG Shipping advisory said.
