Following the situation of the 39 Indian stranded seafarers onboard the bulk carrier “ANASTASIA”, one of the crewmembers attempted suicide, as he was denied permission to return to India to look after his wife and two sons, who have been diagnosed with Covid-19.
The Indian Ocean MoU has updated the list of foreign ships which are currently banned by its Member Authorities. The bans involve five ships in Australia, two in India, three in Iran, and two in Myanmar.
India called China to help the 39 crew of the stranded cargo vessels MV Jag Anand and MV Anastasia. The ships have been stuck for months near Jingtang and Caofeidian ports.
Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways plans to repeal and replace the “Merchant Shipping Act, 1958”, as it has recently issued a draft of the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2020 for public consultation.
Following days of being adrift off the ecologically sensitive Nicobar Islands, India, the Panamanian-flagged tanker Anastasia-1 was towed to safety. The ship had suffered a total power failure on 19 November and was later abandoned by its crew.
The Indian Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways announced that except Indian seafarers, foreign seafarers are also allowed to sign on and off Indian ports, further assisting the global industry on crew change operations.
India’s Director General (DG) for shipping has earlier issued a circular, urging compliance with MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14. Pursuant to this, below is provided a summary of the current position on wash water and open loop scrubber systems for vessels arriving in ports of India.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is urging the governments of China, India and Australia to collaborate and urgently end the stalemate regarding the berthing of the coal-carrying vessels in Chinese ports, as some of the seafarers have been on board for more than 20 months.
Minister of State for Shipping in India, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, launched the Indigenous Software solution for Vessel traffic services (VTS) and Vessels Traffic Monitoring Systems (VTMS) in New Delhi.
Human Rights at Sea recently announced that is collaborating with the Indian Ministry of Shipping and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India to improve human rights outcomes for Indian seafarers around the global.
