SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: In what could be termed as one of the largest repatriation, around 1,500 seafarers from Miami and other European countries will be brought to Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), on June 17.
Nodal Officer for Seafarers Repatriation and Secretary Ports P S Reddy informed Herald that the seafarers are coming from Miami and rest from Italy, Portugal, France and other European countries.
“The two ships -- the vessel ‘Celebrity Infinity’ was anchored at the Mumbai Port on Friday, another vessel ‘Anthem of the Seas’ reached Mumbai in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The seafarers were supposed to disembark there but we persuaded the company Infinity Celebrity to come to Goa and after long discussion, one ship will arrive on June 17,” Reddy said.
Reddy further said that upon arrival, all the seafarers will be tested and quarantined in ship itself till their results are out.
“But as they have been on ship for more than 30 days, they are mostly safe,” he said.
Upon arrival on land the seafarers will be sent for home quarantine of seven days as per new protocol and there would be no paid quarantine.
The seafarers are being evacuated as part of the ongoing “Vande Bharat Mission” for which Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has received over 1,77,000 requests from Indian nationals stranded abroad, including from the stranded seafarers.
“We are aware of the difficulties that they are facing in the territorial waters of the United States, Suriname, and several other countries in the Western hemisphere. They will be evacuated in due process,” an official said indicating that the window of evacuation is likely to last for the next three to four weeks.
Another batch of the seafarers which reached Manila and Philippines by P&O Cruise Ship “Pacific Dawn”, on Saturday morning, will be coming to Mumbai by air.
