Seafarers are no strangers to the perils of the sea. Sailors, unlike any other profession, are trained not only to tide the storms of the high seas, but also all other emergencies on board as the closest help is miles away and often not forthcoming. Even though the ordeals seem never-ending, the fighting spirit and the bond they develop amongst themselves keep the sailors in good stead as trips wind into years and subsequently their careers.
As a sailor, I know the stress of leaving loved ones behind and being separated from the ones we love for months is not as easy as it may look. And then, the joy of uniting with the loved ones after the arduous months of sailing is something only a sailor can feel and understand. The sign off therefore is the most awaited event for a seafarer onboard.
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Goans are no novices to sailing, and Goan seafarers from the early 1950s till now have made Goa proud wherever they have reached sailing on the oceans of the world. They have served well to portray a good image of our motherland, many of them reaching high positions. The seafarers issue merits special attention today, due to the thousands of Goan seafarers stranded in not so pleasing conditions some in the middle of the ocean and some in the ports as the sword of Damocles in the form of novel coronavirus hangs over their heads in the surroundings that they are in right now.
Goans with core values of sincerity and hardwork embedded in them, today comprise more than 30 per cent of the Indian workforce on passenger liners. And, it is these sailors who have kept the economy of our State moving for the last half a century and more and so need immediate attention.
Today around 8,000 distressed Goan sailors stranded across the world are requesting and sending SOS messages to the Union government to allow them to disembark from their ships following all protocols in place and not to abandon them. This type of request during emergencies is nothing new, and the country reacted to them promptly, as for instance when India airlifted our brothers stranded in the Gulf during the Iraq-Kuwait war. Recently, bringing Indian citizens from China, Iran and Italy when the news broke of the COVID-19 infections around the world received praise from the world leaders.
Now the otherwise seemingly smooth operation of sign on and sign off, has gained massive traction thanks to closure of airports for commercial passenger flights. This present situation under COVID-19 has completely shattered the sailors on board the ships. Though I must make a mention that most countries are allowing chartered flights to evacuate stranded nationals back to their country of origin, the efforts of our government doing so are not forthcoming. And the closure of Indian airspace post COVID-19 lockdown hasn’t helped the situation of seafarers as their stress level is being tested beyond the limits. The information, reaching to them through online edition of local newspapers, that the Indian government has allowed foreign countries to evacuate their nationals by chartered flights using Indian airports, has only added more worries to their concerns, which multiplies by each passing day.
My enquiries with the seafarers over the last few weeks revealed that there are no passengers on board, that most companies are following strict quarantine, that twice daily the crew is checked for any COVID-19 like symptoms. Any suspect is completely isolated and kept under medical observation. Further, also due to the COVID-19 infections, the shipping companies have resorted to minimum safe-manning as cost cutting measure and as such the bulk of the crew is without pay on board. Most of the crew members revealed that the companies are providing them with meals and welfare on board, however, the fear, anxiety and uncertainty is taking a toll on their physical as well as mental health.
The sources also revealed that some ships are COVID-19 infected and there are reported deaths of Indians due to COVID-19. This poses a high risk to all crew on board these ships. Take for instance, Rahul Shanbhag from MSC Grandiosa, who has spent 45 days in an Italian port. He is anxious to know why there is no response from the Central government about their repatriation. He further adds that there are some positive cases on board, the crew is scared to stay on board and their families are worried and hope that the government takes quick action before the situation becomes worse.
My research and study on the issue of Indian seafarers stranded all over the world has thrown an interesting and disturbing picture. The study spanning over a week, purely out of concern and reaching out to the crew in times of distress and ably supported by Benaulim-based social activist Royala Fernandes, has put the figure of the stranded ships to over 200 and over 22,500 Indian crew. Studies revealed that a majority of the ships are in USA and Europe. The break up across the world – 75 ships in US, 70 in Europe, 35 in Asia, 30 in the Caribbean region and around eight in South America. This data, with more details, was shared with the MEA, PMO and Goa CM recently, urging the government to take immediate steps to bring back our seafarers.
As a matter of grave concern Goencho Avaaz took this up with the concerned governmental authorities. As a person with a shipping background, I in association with Goencho Avaaz, prepared a detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) from the first step of identification of sign off crew leading up to the arrival in India and quarantine phase. Goencho Avaaz submitted this detailed SOP to the center as well as the Goa.
With persistent pressure from various groups, including Gina Pereira, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant came out with a three-phase policy of bringing back our seafarers. The CM stated that the first phase involved sign off at Indian ports, in the second phase the ships stranded in foreign waters and thirdly the crew stranded ashore in foreign land. These were clear guidelines issued by CM and one hoped that they would be adhered to. But it is only when the Master of Marella Discovery announced his intention to depart from Mumbai that the DG Shipping released the SOP for sign off at Indian ports.
However, the SOP for other two cases is not even being spoken about. The question is whether the government was serious in giving assurances? If yes, then what is the status of the other two phases? These questions remain unanswered. There are reasons to believe that phase two and three were only meant to calm people’s nerves. Time and again the CM has merely stated that he has written to Centre and the latest media briefing doesn’t in any way extend confidence that our CM is serious. With no tangible action coming from the Centre the collective feeling is that our CM has failed the seafarers in rolling out the second phase and third phase of his own stated plan.
Under pressure from different quarters, the CM had also asked to share the list of Goans wanting to sign off so that the process could be expedited. The complete data is now available with the government of Goa, then why and where is the delay? The affected family members raise questions for which the answers are not forthcoming. Surprisingly, the government has now created an additional site to register all NRIs wanting to come back to India, this includes Goan seafarers too. What is the necessity to club seafarers with other NRIs when the government already has the required data on the seafarers and the shipping companies are ready to pay for the charters? This question needs an answer too. Tens of thousands of Non Resident Goans will register on this site. When a few thousands of seafarers can’t be brought back, how does the government plan to bring persons many times over? The families that have at least one member working on ship find these government’s actions confusing.
Earlier the government had revealed that the GTDC facilities would be free of cost and now with a changed mindset the GTDC facilities have become paid. Again with the mounting pressure, the CM stated that the shipping company will be charged and not the seafarer. Is our CM using the crisis and company’s hapless position to improve the financial health of the State or private players? It is not very pleasing to read this in times of severe crisis. Also, the stand of our CM is contrary to the SOP issued by the Central government with regards to the quarantine period after sign off. Why is our government bent on quarantining for 14 days? A disturbed sailor Joseph Fernandes on board Serenade of the Seas states, “We are now an embarrassed lot; at how the government blatantly overcharged the companies for the quarantine facility.” He asks, “How is our CM different from the taxi owners who overcharge tourists coming to Goa.”
The government has to come clean on the policy of charging for quarantine facilities owned by GTDC. Though there is at least one shipping company who has offered to bear the cost of quarantine, our State response should have been one of empathy and not of opportunism. There is no denying the fact that shipping companies are completely out of business and are in a state of severe financial crisis with their future uncertain. To use the pandemic to inflict further financial pain on hapless shipping companies and or the crew is opportunism at its worst.
Another issue, which merits concern, is the effect on the shipping companies due to their inability to repatriate seafarers back to India. As a chief engineer in merchant navy, I have made my concerns known to the government at the highest level with regards to all the issues being played out and especially with regards to retaining competitive edge for our continued employment. The inability of shipping companies to repatriate their crew for well over a month has put them in a considerable financial burden and that they are now charging them with 14 days quarantine will not be forgotten in a hurry by the shipping companies.
Till date our government’s actions have not reposed that faith and trust in these shipping companies and post the COVID-19 pandemic, we are staring at a scenario of possible job losses for Indian/Goan crew. The policy makers need to keep this in mind, otherwise this will add another 10,000 Goans sitting idle with no gainful employment to the already unemployed army of Goan youth.
The uncertainty and failure of providing firm assurance with a certain time frame of phased repatriation has created fear, anxiety and panic in the minds of seafarer. The least the CM could do, is to win the trust of the sailors, their families and Goans by announcing a clear policy of bringing back the seafarers safely and quickly. This will go a long way in bridging the trust deficit between the government and the community, in this case the community who kept the State economy rolling, never demanding anything in return.
Goans are waiting anxiously to hear from our CM in a concise, clear manner about the execution of second and third phase of return of our seafarers. Till that time, tempers will fly high, which is not conducive to either the seafarers or to our government.
(The writer is a chief engineer in the merchant navy, with a mechanical engineering degree and 28 years of experience as a marine engineer)
