Asia/Pacific News
India to Blacklist 86 Foreign Ships Over Seafarer Exploitation
India's maritime regulator is set to blacklist 86 foreign ships due to reports of Indian seafarers being abandoned, imprisoned, or denied wages in these ships.
These ships have been linked to non-payment of wages, lack of repatriation support, unsafe conditions, and detention incidents, according to a draft circular issued by the Directorate General of Shipping (DGS) on Friday.
Under the directive, Recruitment and Placement Service Licence (RPSL) companies must immediately stop deploying Indian crew on these ships.
Those already onboard these ships are to be signed off at the next port of call and repatriated with settlement of wages.
Recruitment agencies must also file detailed compliance reports within 14 working days.
Failure to comply will attract strict penalties, including suspension or cancellation of licences, blacklisting of agencies and legal proceedings.
“A majority of these vessels are operating without minimum mandatory documents, including valid P&I insurance cover, and in many cases, no response is received from the respective Flag States or Port States when approached,” the DGS circular stated.
The blacklist applies only to the deployment of Indian crew, while its impact on port calls remains unclear from the draft circular.
The circular can be viewed here.
