Lok Sabha Question No. 222 (STARRED), answered on 2018-08-02
Subject: Recruitment of Seafarers
Ministry: SHIPPING
Asked by: GOPALAKRISHNAN CHINNARAJ

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA MINISTRY  OF SIHIPPING

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED  QUESTION NO.222 TO BE ANSWERED ON 2NdAUGUST,  2018

## RECRUITMENT  OF SEAFARERS

- -222. AR. C. GOPALAKRISHNAN:

Will the Minister of SHIPPING  be pleased to state:

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- (a) whether  the Govemment  is aware of the difficulties  being faced in the recruitment  of seafarers in the country due to improper  registries;
- (b) if so, the details  thereof alongwith the remedial  steps taken/being  taken in this regard and to eradicate unscrupulous  recruiter for seafarers;
- (c) whether it is a fact that seafarers are not able to  9o  out on shore from ships due to certain  security  restrictions;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether any relaxation is proposed to be given under lnternational  ship and iort Facility Security (lSpS) Code for the purpose  and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF SHIPPING (SHRI NITIN GADKARI)

- (a)  to(e)  A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFFERED TO lN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.  -222  FOR 02.08.2018  REGARDING  RECRUITMENT OF SEAFARERS.

- (a) Yes, Madam
- (b) Based on the complaints received in the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) about the difficulties faced by lndian seafarers who are recruited and placed on board foreign flag ships by Recruitment  & Placement  Service Providers  (RPS) not registered by DGS under the Merchant Shipping  (Recruitment & Placement of Seafarers) Rules, an advisory  was issued in the newspapers,  highlighting the importance  of recruitment only through  DGS licensed / registered RPS entities; the updated list of which is available on the DGS website. The DGS has also sent individual  e-mails to all lndian Seafarers registered in its e-Governance system, advising  them not to accept maritime recruitment and placement through  non DGS registered entities. The DGS approved  Maritime  Training lnstitutes have been requested to display  the said e-mails on their notice board / website  for the benefit  of their students.

ln order to put in place institutional measures  for preventing unlicensed entities  from operating, the Merchant  Shipping(Recruitment  and Placement  of Seafarers)  Rules, 2016 were notified,  which stipulate, inter-alia, that no person shall, directly or indirectly, carry on the business, in lndia of recruitment and Placement of any seafarer  on behalf  of an employer or ship owner  of lndian or foreign ship, unless it is registered  and licensed under these rules. However,  at present there is no provision for  penalty/prosecution  against unlicensed RPS in the extant Merchant Shipping  Act, 1958. Therefore, the proposed Merchant  shipping Bill, 2016 has incorporated provisions relating to imposition of penalty on unregistered  RPS. Till such time the latter comes into force, alternative  measures have been taken for preventing such unlicensed  RPS entities  from operating.

Steps have been taken to prevent lndian seafarers  from leaving lndian ports/airports unless they are recruited through registered  RPS. ln addition  to this, an online  emigrate system  for the lndian seafarers  has been developed and launched  in asiociation with the protector of Emigrants  (MEA) and Bureau of lmmigration  (MHA) vide Merchant  shipping Notice No. 7 ot 2017 on 1'1.08.2017.  The seafarers  who are recruited by unauthorized RPS and seafarers recruited directly by foreign ship owners are prevented from passing through the immigration check  point under the said e-migrate  system.

- (c)&(d)ThereareinstructionsinChapterSoftheHandbookonSeaport lmmigration  on issuing  of Shore  Leave Passes to Seafarers.

whenever any foreigner or lndian crew on a foreign run vessel berthed in the port wishes to visit ihe city, the Master of the vessel and the shipping agent give a request for shore pass by submitting a letter mentioning the name, nationality, passport number, cDC/SlD number, rank of the crew and date on which the shore pass is needed. lf there is no valid seaman book or valid  passport, no shore leave pass is given.

Foreign  seamen are issued Shore Leave Passes on a daily basis (0800 hrs  2200 hrs) subject  to a maximum  of seven days or till the departure  of the vessel whichever  is earlier.

Shore pass exceeding  seven days is given only after proper justification  and charging a fee equivalent  to that of TLP. Shore  pass is issued with the followinq conditions;

- The crew must have CDC authenticating  his claim as a seaman. L
- The crew must return to the ship on the same day itself within the prescribed  time (Foreigners  only). ii.
- iv. Shore Pass must be surrendered  to the lmmigration authorities before the departure of the vessel.
- iii. Shore pass is valid for visit to places within city limits only. lt cannot be utilized to leave the confines  of the city limits.

## SLP(Shore Leave Passes) for lndians

There are instructions  issued  that shore leave passes may be issued to lndian  Seafarers  for a period of 10 days. However,  since the shore leave passes for lndian  Seafarers are to be issued only during the period  of their Ship's stay at the port, it could be made for the duration  of the Ship's stay at the  port or for the period not exceeding  1 0 days, whi'chever is earlier.

As the sign on/off, arrival/departu re of lndian flag coastal run vessel is done by lmmigration, the Shore Leave Pass to the lndian crew on Coastal run vessels is issued and regulated  by lmmigration due to security concerns. Further, necessary  amendments have been made in Chapter 27 of the revised Visa Manual pertaining  to sign-on/sign-off facility to seamen joining  ships. The instructions  in this regard  have already come into force with immediate  effect.

(e) The lnternational Ship and Port Facility Security(ISPS)  Code deals with control measures  for access and egress to/ from a ship and/or a port facility. Extent of severity of such control measures  depends  upon various  factors, including the prevalent  security environment in the area. Accordingly, security level is decided by the port facility. ln heightened security environment the access/egress may be restricted.  As ISPS Code does not deal specifically with shore leave of seafarers, the question  of relaxation  does not arise.