Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 28 September 2021
Merchant Navy Officers working on Foreshore Sector vessels owned by the Directorate of Shipping Services, Andaman and Nicobar Administration and manned by the Shipping Corporation of India have not received their salaries since July 2021.
Shipping Corporation of India Ltd. is a Govt. of India Enterprise which took up the manning of Fore Shore Sector Vessels on 1st of July 2021. Earlier the vessels were manned by ABS Marine Services Pvt. Ltd. a private enterprise until the 30th of June 2021.
The officers working onboard the Fore Shore Sector vessels manned by the SCI alleged that they approached the Shipping Corporation of India and asked them to pay their salary for July 2021. The officers informed that they were told that their salary for July 2021 will be paid along with the salary for August 2021.
When they approached the Shipping Corporation of India again for their salaries for the months of July and August 2021, they did not get a response.
The officers further complained that the Shipping Corporation of India has also not paid the food money to the officers since the 1st of July 2021.
It is also being reported that all officers onboard Foreshore Sector vessels of DSS have completed their contract period and have further served a period for which their contract was extended. Their period of the contract extension has also lapsed but they are not being allowed to sign-off and the officers waiting to sign-on are also suffering as they are jobless.
The services provided by these Fore Shore Sector vessels have not been affected by the issues regarding payment of salaries to the officers who man them. The officers are reportedly performing their duties with utmost dedication and the sailing vessels are sailing as per the schedule and the vessels on maintenance are carrying out the required repair works.
The officers allege that the Shipping Corporation of India is only bothered about sailing, maintenance and survey job of the vessels and they are least bothered about the due salaries and food money of the officers.
The officers informed Nicobar Times that several communications regarding the issue have been sent from the Masters of all vessels to DSS and SCI, but they haven’t received a response from them.
Nicobar Times has sent Emails to DSS & SCI for their comment on the story and their response as received will be updated in the story.