New Delhi: Indian sailors are losing employment on China-bound commercial ships, according to a seafarers’ organisation, since Beijing has put an unofficial ban on ships with Indian crew members berthing in Chinese ports.
The All India Seafarer & General Workers’ Union has written a letter to Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, the Directorate General of Shipping, and the Ministry of External Affairs about the unofficial ‘ban’ on Indian seafarers entering Chinese waters, claiming that ‘21,000 Indian sailors are facing job losses, directly or indirectly’ as a result.
Speaking to a leading daily, Abhijeet Sangle, working president of the Union, said: ‘It’s China’s tactic to isolate our seafarers so as to provide better prospects to its sailors. We have written a letter to Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, DG shipping and MEA to seriously look into the issue. In fact, I have sent a letter to foreign minister S Jaishankar separately, requesting him to take immediate action.’
He further said: ‘Earlier, this year, our Indian sailors faced a similar problem when China did not allow two foreign ships with Indian crew to berth at its port as a result of which our crew of over 40 members were stranded off China for several weeks.’
When asked about the letter from the union, DG (Shipping) Amitabh Kumar stated: ‘We have not received any official communication from either the Chinese government or the ministry of external affairs about any such ban. Our data doesn’t suggest anything of that sort (that over 21,000 sailors are facing any job problem). These are the personal views of some people. We can’t keep reacting to everyone’s views.’ MEA sources claimed they were also unaware of the letter.
China is now imposing conditions, according to Captain Sanjay Parashar of the National Shipping Board. ‘It has asked foreign shipping companies that they can lift or unload the cargo from China only if they agree to its terms, which is not to employ Indian crew onboard their vessels if they want to enter the Chinese waters. There is a commercial cost to it. Either you have to divert your ship which means adding to your fuel cost or replace the Indian crew, which costs the company a lot— replacing a crew of five members costs around $300,000 to $500,000. This is basically China’s ‘gundagardi’ as it wants to flex its muscles.’ He went on to say that the ‘problem can only be handled via diplomacy.’
Capt Rakesh Coelho, the head of a UK-based shipping company’s India office, remarked: ‘The Chinese restrictions against Indian crew started somewhere in March. But its stand hardened up especially after the second wave of Covid. Though China is not giving any official explanation for such a boycott, some consider Indians in the high-risk category due to the Delta variant. But this is a hollow explanation as Delta cases are now found in so many countries.’
Also Read: Just 10 athletes from Pakistan at Olympics, shame on those responsible: Ex-Pak cricketer
He added: ‘Our sailors are among the best in the industry. But because of China’s move, shipping companies especially based in the US, UK and western Europe whose vessels are China-bound have stopped employing the Indian crew. In fact, such companies are now taking more Filipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.’ Coelho also suggested that India could retaliate by barring Chinese sailors.
The maritime sector is dominated by Indian sailors. India used to send approximately 2.4 lakh seafarers per year till last year. 2.1 lakh of them worked on foreign ships, while 30,000 worked on Indian ships.
Post Your Comments