Shipping chief told to help crew stuck on vessel

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the Director General of Shipping and the Mercantile Marine Department to provide basic amenities like drinking water to five crew members who are forced to remain on board a dilapidated cargo vessel anchored at Munambam harbour following the refusal by the ship owner to sign them off.

The court order came on a writ petition filed by N Thayu Manavar, Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, and four other crew members seeking a directive to the Director General of Shipping to immediately discharge them from the vessel MV Great Sea Vembanad.

M S Amal Dharsan, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that they are starving and they are not even having  drinking water for the last several days. Though their contract of service with the ship owner was over, they were not allowed to sign off from the vessel. In fact, they were free to join any ship since their service period with the vessel was completed. Despite repeated requests, the owner was not allowing them to sign off. The Director-General of Shipping and the Mercantile Marine Department have not so far positively responded to their requests.

Their requests remain unattended and consequently they were left to suffer and starve, without wages and access to communication on the vessel, which is now completely unseaworthy and it is ‘out of class’ owing to the expiry of the certificate of class. There is no adequate power source on board the vessel and it is the fishing harbour since April 12, 2020.

If they leave the vessel, they would be accused of being deserters and that would affect their future employment opportunities.The Kochi-based company which is the owner of the vessel has refused to pay their wages. Its motive is to avoid payment of outstanding wages and at the same time make it impossible for them to continue on the vessel by denying even food and water.