Latest news with #MerchantShippingAct
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Director General of Shipping to be renamed as Director General of Maritime Administration under the planned new Merchant Shipping Act
Advt Advt By , ETInfra Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. Get updates on your preferred social platform Follow us for the latest news, insider access to events and more. The Director General of Shipping will be renamed as the Director General of Maritime Administration in a key institutional reform under the new Merchant Shipping Bill which is expected to be moved in the Lok Sabha reform will 'appropriately reflect the office's duties to oversee maritime affairs , other than commercial aspects of ports, and supervise discharge of obligations of ports under international conventions,' said an Bill seeks to repeal and re-enact the Merchant Shipping Act, it seeks to set up a body responsible for carrying out regulatory and oversight functions in respect of the security of vessels and port facilities.'With a vast coastline and port development by private entities, efficient removal of security lapses and threats is a must. It is also the requirement under international conventions. This also ensures the integrity in operations of ports, which positively impacts the bankability of India as a maritime jurisdiction and has potential to reduce costs to trade,' the official National Shipping Board , under the proposed law, will consist of six Members of Parliament and other members, not exceeding sixteen, of which at least four will be women, to be appointed by the Central government to represent the Central Government, ship owners, seafarers and other interests. It provides that the ship owners and seafarers will be represented equally in Members of Parliament as members or Chairperson of the National Shipping Board are not considered to hold an office of profit for the purposes of Article 102(1)(a) of the Constitution of Bill also seeks to introduce digitised processes to enhance ease of doing business and boost investor it seeks to set up an advisory board to be called Seafarer's Welfare Board to advise the central government on the measures to be taken for promoting the welfare of seafarers under the Act.
NDTV
02-07-2025
- NDTV
Indian National Charged In Singapore Over Ship Collision That Killed 1
Singapore: An Indian national was charged in a Singapore court on Wednesday under the Merchant Shipping Act over a collision of two vessels a year ago in which one man was killed and another was badly injured. Soosai Antony Vainer, 35, and a Sri Lankan, Wickramage Viraj Amila Shavinda Perera, 40, were the two crew members on the Singapore-registered Hafnia Nile, which collided on the morning of July 19, 2024, with Ceres I, registered with the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Channel News Asia reported. Perera was the officer in charge of the navigational watch on the Hafnia Nile at that time, the report said, citing charge sheets. Vainer was the duty lookout of the navigational watch, the chargesheet added. Vainer observed that the Hafnia Nile was "approaching close" to the Ceres I, but did not report this to the officer in charge of the navigational watch, his charge alleged. Instead, he allegedly steered the Hafnia Nile when he had not been directed to do so, and failed to keep a proper lookout, resulting in the collision of two tankers, it added. As a result of this failure, the vessel collided with the Ceres I, killing one person on board and injuring another, the charge sheets stated. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has brought the prosecution cases against the two men, according to the Channel report. If found guilty, the men can each be jailed for up to two years, fined up to SGD 50,000 or both.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Recover all expenses in the wake of two ship accidents from owner firms, says Kerala HC
All expenses, including those towards compensation and mitigating pollution, in the wake of the two ship accidents off the Kerala coast in the past fortnight must be recovered from the owner firms of the vessels, and must not be met by the public exchequer, the Kerala High Court has said. Along with the Centre, the State government can also initiate measures for this. Any further delay will set a wrong precedent, the court said, in a public interest litigation filed by T.N. Pratapan, former MP, seeking compensation for fishers and others affected by the sinking of MSC Elsa 3 – a Liberia-flagged container vessel that was carrying hazardous and other cargo, off the Alappuzha coast on May 25. This was followed by a massive fire that has been raging in Singapore-flagged container ship Wan Hai 503 off the Beypore coast since Monday, and the toppling of many containers, including those with hazardous cargo. Calculating damage The counsel for Mr. Pratapan said that with the intensifying of the monsoon, the salvaging of containers from the vessels and the sea could become tougher. The government's counsel said that the extent of damage caused by the ship disasters was being calculated. He added that the Centre had powers to initiate action, under the Merchant Shipping Act. To this the court responded that coastal States also enjoyed wide-ranging powers, and the District Collectors too can take action. An amicus curiae would be appointed to help the court in this regard.
The Hindu
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala shipwreck: Centre gives 48-hour ultimatum to ship owner MSC to extract oil from sunken vessel
The Director General of Shipping has issued an ultimatum to the owner of MSC Elsa 3, the ship that sank off the coast of Kerala on May 24, demanding the extraction of oil from the sunken ship in 48 hours. In the letter addressed to MSC Ship Management Limited, Cyprus, Shyam Jagannatan, Director General of Shipping (DGS), said 'the consistent inaction and delay by the owners and salvors (T&T salvage) appointed by the company represent not only negligence but also a violation of statutory obligations.' If the extraction of oil not commence within the next 48 hours, the Central government shall be left with no alternative but examine all avenues against the ship owners and salvors for the continuing threat posed to Indian waters and the coastal environment, the letter said. This include attracting prosecution and penalties under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958; Environment (Protection) Act 1986; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Disaster Management Act, 2005, and any other applicable provisions under Indian maritime safety, environmental protection, and disaster management laws, the letter said. Any further delay beyond the specified period will be treated as willful and deliberate noncompliance, and the government will proceed to exercise its full legal rights and remedies without any further reference, it noted. Despite repeated instructions and meetings, the response from the salvors has been consistently delayed and insufficient. The lack of prompt action has resulted in a continued and serious risk to the marine environment and coastline of India, particularly affecting the coastal regions of Kerala. The region's local communities, which heavily rely on fishing for their livelihoods, have already suffered extensive loss of work and income due to the prolonged presence of the sunken vessel, floating debris, oil sheen, and ongoing pollution risks, it said. The salvors were initially clearly advised to mobilise necessary assets for diving and oil recovery operations. Despite this, the diving support vessel (DSV) and necessary diving assets were not mobilised until after May 30, affecting the entire timeline for the operation. Even the tug assets hired by the owners arrived on scene only after June 1, with no prior deployment initiated by the salvors. Furthermore, while it was very clear considering the depth of the water (51 meters) that saturation diving was required for the extraction of oil from the vessel, the salvors have to date been able to conduct only limited air diving operations, which are inadequate for the extraction of oil from the tanks of the sunken vessel. Capping of vents, which was scheduled for completion earlier this month, is still being conducted at present. The extraction of oil, originally scheduled to commence around June 5, has not even begun as of this date. The salvage operation was provided a short weather window considering the monsoon conditions over the Arabian Sea, and that window has now largely been lost as a direct consequence of the salvors' failure to timely deploy assets and personnel, the DGS said.
New Indian Express
10-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
MSC Elsa 3 sinking: Kerala government's move not to file case draws flak
KOCHI: Maritime experts have expressed shock at the Kerala government's decision not to register a criminal case following the sinking of the MSC Elsa 3 cargo ship off the Kochi coast last month. Details have emerged from the minutes of a May 29 high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and attended by Director General of Shipping Shyam Jagannathan and the state chief secretary, in which the state reportedly decided against immediately pursuing legal action against the shipping company involved. Maritime law expert and former chairman of the Maritime Board, V J Mathew, termed the move 'unprecedented', stating that registering a case would have paved the way for the state to initiate procedures to claim compensation. 'Have we ever heard of authorities/state refraining from filing a case against those involved in an accident due to their close ties? If the chief secretary's decision, as reported in the media, is indeed accurate, and someone challenges the note in the High Court and the Supreme Court, how will the chief secretary justify it?' Mathew said. He pointed to a 2016 gazette notification by the central government that authorised one coastal police station per state to exercise jurisdiction up to 200 nautical miles from the coastline. 'As per this notification, Fort Kochi Coastal Police have the authority to register a case. The incident can be booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Merchant Shipping Act, the Marpol Convention or the Environment (Protection) Act, given the environmental impact of the wreckage,' he said. He added that after filing the case, the state should assess damages, including environmental degradation, oil spillage, and the impact on fishermen. If compensation is not paid on demand, another MSC ship can be legally seized to enforce payment.
