The director general of shipping has turned down Goan Seaman Association of India’s (GSAI) request to withdraw the order for allowing more relaxation for those seafarers who have been debarred from applying Indian Continuous Discharge Certificates (CDC). GSAI has urged the government to reconsider the decision and give relaxation for another year.

DG shipping, in a letter dated October 13, 2021, to the secretary of ministry of ports and shipping, stated that no further relaxation is desirable in this case as it is offence of submitting false certificates.

The DG shipping had earlier debarred the candidates for life for submitting fake certificates for obtaining CDC through circular no. 36 of 2020 dated November 12, 2020. However, after receiving various representations from candidates and associations, the DG shipping relaxed the punishment period upto three years.

GSAI president Frank Viegas said they have knocked the doors of minister of state for shipping Shripad Naik requesting relaxation of one more year since most of the seafarers who had applied in 2019 will have to wait for one more year. “Our Seafarers are already jobless for almost two years due to the pandemic. It is a matter of livelihood of seafarers.”

Most of the shipping companies are insisting on Indian CDC as a mandatory document, whereas CDC is required even for visa application, visa renewal and upgradation of STCW courses.

GSAI pleaded with DG shipping Amitabh Kumar also to relax the debarment period to one year as a best solution acceptable to seafarers who are jobless for the last several years for committing the offence.