New Delhi: A seafaring labor union has claimed that Indian seafarers are losing jobs on commercial ships going to China after Beijing imposed an unofficial ban and did not allow ships with Indian crew members to berth at Chinese ports. Used to be.
The All India Sailors and General Workers Union said it has written a letter to the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Directorate General of Shipping. foreign Ministry The unofficial “ban” on Indian seafarers from entering Chinese waters resulted in “21,000 Indian seafarers facing direct or indirect job losses”.
Speaking to TOI, the union’s working president Abhijit Sangle alleged, “It is China’s strategy to isolate our sailors so as to provide better prospects to its sailors. We have written a letter to Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, DG Shipping A And My To take the matter seriously. In fact, I have sent a separate letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar requesting him to take immediate action.
Earlier this year, our Indian sailors also faced a similar problem when China did not allow two foreign ships with Indian crew to berth at its port, resulting in the loss of over 40 members. Our team was stuck outside China for several weeks.
When TOI inquired about the union’s letter, DG (Shipping) Amitabh Kumar said, “We have not received any official communication from the Chinese government or the Ministry of External Affairs regarding any such restrictions. Our data does not suggest anything of that sort (that more than 21,000 sailors are facing any job problems). These are personal views of some people. We cannot react to everyone’s views.” External Affairs Ministry sources also said that they were not aware of the letter.
captain Sanjay Parashar, a member of National Shipping Board, told TOI that China is now deciding the terms. “It has asked foreign shipping companies to lift or unload cargo from China if they agree to its terms, which is not to employ Indian crew on their ships to enter Chinese waters. It has a business cost. Either you have to turn your ship which means increasing your fuel cost or replace the Indian crew, which also costs the company a lot – the cost of replacing a crew of five members is around $300,000 to $500,000. It is basically China’s ‘hooliganism’ as it wants to flex its muscles,” he said, adding that “the issue can only be resolved through diplomacy”.
Captain Rakesh Coelho, head of the India branch of a UK-based shipping company, told TOI, “Chinese sanctions against the Indian crew started somewhere in March.
But its stand became strict especially after the second wave of Kovid. While China is not offering any official explanation for such exclusion, some consider Indians in the high-risk category due to the delta variant. But this is a hollow interpretation as cases of delta are now found in many countries. “Our seafarers are among the best in the industry. But due to the move to China, shipping companies especially based in US, UK and Western Europe whose ships are China-bound have stopped employing Indian crew. In fact , such companies are now taking on more Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.” He said India should avenge China’s move by imposing sanctions on its sailors.
Indian seafarers constitute a major force in the shipping industry. Till last year, India used to send around 2.4 lakh seafarers annually. Of them, 2.1 lakh seafarers served on foreign ships and 30,000 on Indian ships.
The All India Sailors and General Workers Union said it has written a letter to the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Directorate General of Shipping. foreign Ministry The unofficial “ban” on Indian seafarers from entering Chinese waters resulted in “21,000 Indian seafarers facing direct or indirect job losses”.
Speaking to TOI, the union’s working president Abhijit Sangle alleged, “It is China’s strategy to isolate our sailors so as to provide better prospects to its sailors. We have written a letter to Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, DG Shipping A And My To take the matter seriously. In fact, I have sent a separate letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar requesting him to take immediate action.
Earlier this year, our Indian sailors also faced a similar problem when China did not allow two foreign ships with Indian crew to berth at its port, resulting in the loss of over 40 members. Our team was stuck outside China for several weeks.
When TOI inquired about the union’s letter, DG (Shipping) Amitabh Kumar said, “We have not received any official communication from the Chinese government or the Ministry of External Affairs regarding any such restrictions. Our data does not suggest anything of that sort (that more than 21,000 sailors are facing any job problems). These are personal views of some people. We cannot react to everyone’s views.” External Affairs Ministry sources also said that they were not aware of the letter.
captain Sanjay Parashar, a member of National Shipping Board, told TOI that China is now deciding the terms. “It has asked foreign shipping companies to lift or unload cargo from China if they agree to its terms, which is not to employ Indian crew on their ships to enter Chinese waters. It has a business cost. Either you have to turn your ship which means increasing your fuel cost or replace the Indian crew, which also costs the company a lot – the cost of replacing a crew of five members is around $300,000 to $500,000. It is basically China’s ‘hooliganism’ as it wants to flex its muscles,” he said, adding that “the issue can only be resolved through diplomacy”.
Captain Rakesh Coelho, head of the India branch of a UK-based shipping company, told TOI, “Chinese sanctions against the Indian crew started somewhere in March.
But its stand became strict especially after the second wave of Kovid. While China is not offering any official explanation for such exclusion, some consider Indians in the high-risk category due to the delta variant. But this is a hollow interpretation as cases of delta are now found in many countries. “Our seafarers are among the best in the industry. But due to the move to China, shipping companies especially based in US, UK and Western Europe whose ships are China-bound have stopped employing Indian crew. In fact , such companies are now taking on more Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.” He said India should avenge China’s move by imposing sanctions on its sailors.
Indian seafarers constitute a major force in the shipping industry. Till last year, India used to send around 2.4 lakh seafarers annually. Of them, 2.1 lakh seafarers served on foreign ships and 30,000 on Indian ships.
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