Lok Sabha Question No. 3813 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-12-08
Subject: Missing Seamen/Workers
Ministry: SHIPPING
Asked by: P. KARUNAKARAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SHIPPING

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3813

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 8 th DECEMBER, 2016 MISSING SEAMEN/WORKERS

## 3813. SHRI P. KARUNAKARAN:

Will the Minister of SHIPPING  be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of seamen/workers found missing on board the ships/vessels during each of the last three years and the current year;
- (b) the number of seamen/workers out of them got traced/found as a result of rescue efforts during the said period;
- (c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to trace the remaining missing seamen/workers; and
- (d) the other steps taken by the Government to prevent such incidents in future?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SHIPPING (SHRI MANSUKH L. MANDAVIYA)

(a)&(b):The details of the seamen/workers found missing on board the ships and the number  of seamen/workers out of them got traced as a result of rescue efforts during the last 3 years and the current year are given below:<pre>

| Year               | ng Indian seamen/workers on   | ng Indian seamen/workers on   | ng Indian seamen/workers traced as cue efforts on   | ng Indian seamen/workers traced as cue efforts on   |
|--------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
|                    | Flag vessel                   | gn Flag vessel                | Flag                                                | Flag                                                |
| 2013               | 4                             | 8                             | nil                                                 | nil                                                 |
| 2014               | 4                             | 10                            | 1                                                   | 1                                                   |
| 2015               | nil                           | 1                             | nil                                                 | nil                                                 |
| 2016(upto October) | 3                             | 7                             | nil                                                 | nil                                                 |

</pre>

- (c) : Various steps takento trace the missing seamen / vessels include the following:-
- (i) In all cases of missing seamen on board the vessel, efforts are made to trace missing seamen/workers in coordination with the respective Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre [MRCC] / Rescue Coordination Centre [RCC] of the Indian Coast Guard. A surface and air search is launched by the Coast Guard and master of the vessel to trace the missing person.
- (ii) Indian  shipping  companies  are  required  to  carry  out  investigation  internally  as  per  their  safety management system and submit their report to the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS). In addition, the DGS carries out investigation of such missing seamen/workers on Indian Flag vessels.
- (iii) In case of an Indian national missing on foreign flag vessel, the DGS requests the respective Flag State administration to carry out investigation and forward their report to this Directorate.

(iv) When there is no trace of such missing seamen/workers, after termination of Search and Rescue [SAR] operation by the respective authorities, it is considered that missing seamen/ workers are presumed dead.

(d): Lessons  learnt  from  such  missing  incidents  are  shared  with  the  companies  /  operators.General workshops are held to educate the stakeholders for prevention of such incidents.

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