Tag: India

Following the killing of the two fishermen Terming as "unfortunate" the killing of two Indian fishermen by gun shots from an Italian ship, shipping minister G K Vasan said appropriate punishment should be given to the guilty."It is a very unfortunate incident. Italian arm guards fired (at) Indian fishermen. This is not acceptable," Vasan told reporters here, when asked to comment on the incident near Kerala.Observing that Director General, Shipping, has ordered an enquiry into the incident, he said it was internationally well-known that when there is a piracy attack, certain protocol should be followed."It was not followed here. Enquiry will reveal (what happened). Appropriate punishment should be given (to those guilty) as per the law of the land," he said.Vasan said there was a suspicion as to why the Italian ship did not report the incident on time. "I am sure proceedings will take place. There is no pressure from Italy. Our fishermen lives are very important".Two Indian fishermen, Ajesh Binki (25) and Jalastein (45), were killed on February 15 off the Kollam coast near Kerala when armed guards of Italian ship 'Enrica Lexie' fired at their boat.The preliminary assessment of the marine authorities is that the armed guards ...

The Italian ship Enrica Lexie anchored off the Kochi coast for investigations India's maritime administration may make 'flag-state endorsement' mandatory for foreign merchant ships entering Indian waters with armed security guards on board. The idea is to make the Government of the country in which the ship is registered (flag-state) also responsible for any action on the part of the armed guards deployed on the vessel.The move apparently follows the killing of two fishermen off the Kerala coast last week when security guards on an Italian ship, opened fire, reportedly mistaking them for pirates.Currently, flag-states give a general approval for shipping companies to engage private security guards. The contract is between the ship owners and the security agency which provides the armed men. With rising incidents of attacks on cargo ships by Somali pirates, many countries, including India and Italy, have allowed their merchant ships to have armed guards on board. Ships have to follow the policy (on deployment of guards) of the country in which they are registered. The policy is based on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) guidelines.Problems can arise when the ship is owned, managed and operated by people of different nationalities. Typically, a ship may be ...

Enrica Lexie is now berthed off the Kochi coast for further investigation India on Thursday summoned the Italian envoy to voice concern over the killing of two fishermen by security officials of an Italian cargo vessel in the waters off Kerala. It asked Italy to ensure the ship's captain cooperates with Indian police.Italy, however, maintained that the Italian navy personnel on board Enrica Lexie fired warning shots after they were allegedly attacked in international waters by people on an Indian fishing vessel.The incident that killed two fishermen, one from Tamil Nadu and the other from Kerala, who were mistaken for pirates, took place Wednesday evening about 14 nautical miles off Alappuzha in Kerala.M. Ganapathi, secretary (west) in the external affairs ministry, met Italian ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice di Montefort and asked him to ensure that the captain cooperates with Indian officials probing the incident. The Italian envoy said the captain will cooperate with Kochi police.Enrica Lexie is now berthed off the Kochi coast and its officials have been summoned by police for further investigations.The Italian embassy, however, insisted that the ship was attacked and the firing was done only in self-defence."The Italian ship was attacked yesterday in international waters about 30 ...

The shooting incident has heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries Indian police and coastguards are questioning the captain and crew of an Italian cargo ship that fired at an Indian trawler, killing two fishermen.Reports say the Italians mistook the Indian fishing boat for a pirate vessel on Wednesday evening.Indian Defence Minister AK Antony has described the killings as "very serious" and an "unfortunate incident".The Italian ambassador in Delhi was summoned by the foreign ministry on Thursday over the shooting.Indian officials say they are surprised at the mistake and that the fishermen did nothing to threaten the Italian ship.Following the shootout, the Indian coast guard sent two boats and an aircraft to intercept the ship.The Kerala state government has authorised a payment of 500,000 rupees ($10,125; 6,450) each to the dead fishermen's families.'No weapons'The Italian ship, identified as the MV Enrica Lexie, fired at the fishermen in waters off India's southern state of Kerala, the Indian navy said in a statement.Officials said the vessel was bound from Singapore to Egypt, with a crew of 19 Indians.The Italians say the crew members fired in self-defence - after initially firing warning shots - because they feared their vessel was about to be ...

The shooting incident has heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries

APMT CEO sees potential for the private sector With a population of 1.2 billion and the world's third-largest economy, India remains significantly under-represented as a player in global trade - something APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer says he is eager to help change. "The opportunities for development throughout one of the world's largest and fastest-growing economies are exciting and energising, and APM Terminals is committed to being a part of that growth," Fejfer told local business leaders and customers during his keynote address at the India Ports Conference in Mumbai.Although the Indian economy expanded by an estimated 7.8% in 2011 to US$1.8 trillion, India ranked 13th in imports and 21st in exports, globally, last year.South Asia, which includes Pakistan and Bangladesh, represented only 3% of global container throughout in 2011, according to estimates by Alphaliner, with combined container volumes of 18 million teu, four million less than China's port of Shenzhen on its own.Throughput at India's ports accounted for 9.7 million teu in 2011 - one-twelfth of what global container traffic averages based on economic output would suggest as necessary to meet the economy's needs.Fejfer estimated that $20 billion would need to be spent on the infrastructure necessary to make ...

To increase shipping efficiency and maritime security Union Shipping Minister Sh. Vasan has dedicated the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) for the Gulf of Kachchh to the nation, at Kandla Port in Gujarat today. The concept, design and implementation of the entire scheme were done by the Directorate General of Lighthouses & Lightships (DGLL) team, under the Ministry of Shipping. VTS is a co-ordinated measure and services of a number of sensors like Radars, Automatic Identification System (AIS), etc. and they all are integrated to develop an overall scenario by which appropriate advice can be given to the Master of the vessel. This will help in improving waterways and harbour management, increase shipping efficiency and above all help the regulatory authorities and security agencies in detecting unlawful activities and anti national activities.Sh. Vasan said in his inaugural speech that establishment of a VTS for the Gulf of Kachchh had been a long felt need though the completion was delayed due to difficult terrain and logistical challenges. The scheme has been implemented at a cost of about Rs.165 crore, with 50 per cent contribution from DGLL, 25 per cent from Gujarat State Maritime Board and 25 per cent from Kandla Port Trust.The ...

Invest-Port Inaugurated The Union Shipping Minister, Shri G.K. Vasan has strongly advocated Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode in port investment opportunities in India. Inaugurating "Invest Port", a conclave on investment opportunities in India in New Delhi today, Shri Vasan said that the maritime sector plays a crucial role in facilitating India's international trade. Almost 95% by volume and 70 % by value of India's global merchandise trade is effected through the sea route.To ensure seamless passage of cargo both from and to the port through the hinterland, Shri Vasan said that it involved harmonisation of berth side development (including installation of cargo handling equipment) with marine side development (including enhancement in channel depths, where necessary). Optimum utilisation of the port facilities are required to be achieved through improvement in road and rail connectivity infrastructureRegarding the perspective plan prepared by the Shipping Ministry "Maritime Agenda 2020" Shri Vasan said that the Agenda encompasses development of the 12 major ports functioning under the Union Government and also the 176 notified non-major ports. The objectives of the Agenda inter alia includes creation of port capacity of around 3200 million MT to handle the expected traffic of about 2500 million MT by 2020. Shri ...

Anti-Piracy Operations to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden India, China and Japan have started implementing a new mechanism to coordinate the movement of their warships in the Gulf of Aden to provide protection to cargo vessels from sea brigands. The three countries operate independently in the Gulf of Aden to provide protection to cargo ships from pirates and are not part of the two groupings deployed there-- the European EUNAVFOR and the US-led Task Force 151."Earlier what was happening was that the convoys of all these three countries would be spaced by few hours and there would be long hours in a day when no convoy was available for escorting the vessels," Indian Navy's Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation and Naval Intelligence) Rear Admiral Monty Khanna told reporters here.The officer was holding a briefing on the 'Milan' naval exercise, which started in Port Blair Wednesday. He said now the three countries have "evolved a mechanism under which it will be ensured that there is enough gap between the Indian, Chinese and the Japanese convoy and they are well-displaced" to be able to escort a greater number of ships in a day. Khanna was replying to a ...

Maintaining round the clock vigil in the Maritime Zones of India The Indian Coast Guard is celebrating its 35th anniversary tomorrow. Since its inception, the service has grown into a multi-faceted and vibrant force, maintaining 'round the clock' vigil in the Maritime Zones of India, by deploying its multi-role ships and aircraft.Beginning with a modest inventory of two ex-naval frigates, the service today boasts of a force-level of 68 ships and 52 aircraft. During the past year, one ship, four interceptor boats, four Dornier aircraft and two Chetak helicopters have been commissioned into service, in addition to the establishment of six CG Stations and two Air Enclaves.The Indian Coast Guard today, is on a path of rapid expansion, as a large number of state-of-art ships, boats and aircraft are under-construction at various shipyards/PSUs. The service is expected to attain a force-level of 77 surface platforms and 56 aircraft by end 2012. The Coast Guard will also have 42 CG Stations, four Air Stations and 11 Air Enclaves functioning all along the coast, by the end of 2012.On the manpower front, the service has initiated several measures to augment its manpower viz. introduction of short service appointment for women officers and ...