With 165 MTI’s, a record 2,82,918 Indian seafarers employed this calendar year

Sonowal Maintains Marine Infrastructure Development is Continuous Process

Padmesh Prabhune

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in the Loksabha recently elaborated on the expansion and modernization of the marine sector, stressing upon the record number of seafarers employed in the calendar year and higher standards implemented to ensure maritime training, examination and certification system cope with the growth of the Indian shipmanning sector.

Sonowal maintained that the Government of India has made concerted efforts for expansion and modernisation of the Marine Sector in the Country and that infrastructure development in the Marine Sector is a continuously evolving process.

The process inter-alia involves the construction of new berths and terminals, mechanization of existing berths and terminals, capital dredging for deepening drafts for attracting large vessels in port channels, development of road and rail connectivity, etc., and helps in increasing the capacity of major ports. As a result, the cargo handling capacity of the Major Ports has been steadily going up.

Sonowal stressed that the Major Ports installed capacity as on 31.3.2023 is 1,617 MTPA, which is sufficient to handle the existing cargo traffic at the Major ports.

Highlighting that the Government has taken several progressive steps to improve the standards of maritime training, examination and certification system, and to increase on-board training opportunities and welfare measures for the seafarers, Sonowal said, “There are DGS-approved 165 MTI’s and due to the steps taken the number of Indian seafarers employed in this calendar year has reached the record level of 2,82,918 on Indian and foreign flagged vessels.

“Also efforts have been made to reduce violations in the online Exit Exams.”

Accordingly i) Candidates are briefed about the system by the concerned MTIs before they appear for the online Exit examination ii) E-proctoring has been strengthened and examination can be taken only from the premises of approved MTIs on computer machines registered in the Exit examination facility.

Further strict action has been taken on instances of misconduct and manipulation of exit exam system. The INDOS numbers of those candidates who were found to be involved in the Exit exam misconduct were blocked for a period of six months thereby restricting them to join the ship.

The Minister also highlighted a few polices for promotion of ship building and Indian flagging of vessels.

-Marex Media