Baltimore bridge collapse: India one of the top sailor-supplying nations; provides around 12% of seafarers

Baltimore bridge collapse: The freight ship collision that led to the collapse of the Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US has brought the spotlight on its Indian crew. The ship, Dali, was manned by a 22-member Indian crew on board. 

But before Dali, cargo ship ‘MV Lila Norfolk’ was in news after it was hijacked off Somalia’s coast. It had 15 Indian crew members. The Indian Navy deployed INS Chennai to the scene to ensure the crew’s safety.  

Then there were the 23 Indian seafarers aboard ‘Advantage Sweet’ that were seized in the gulf of Oman and were repatriated to India from Iran. 

One of the biggest shipping crises in recent times was that of ‘Ever Given’ that crashed into a bank of a single-lane stretch of the Suez Canal, blocking the pathway for 6 days, forcing ships to take a longer, alternate route – a 5,000-km detour – round the Cape of Good Hope, costing ships thousands of dollars in fuel and other costs. Ever Given, too, had a crew of 25 Indian nationals, who remained safe and in good health throughout the saga.

Coincidence? Think not.

India is one of the top nations that supply sailors. So, it is not a coincidence that many ships are manned wholly or partially by Indian crew. However the market is dominated by countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar due to their higher expertise and lower costs.

According to the Directorate General of Shipping latest available data, India provides 9.35 per cent of the global seafarers to the world maritime industry. However, according to the government’s ‘Maritime India vision 2030’ in 2021, the number is at 10-12 per cent. 

The years 2013 to 2017 saw an unprecedented growth of 42.3 per cent shipboard jobs for Indian seafarers. The seafarers employed on ships worldwide increased from 1,08,446 in 2013 to 1,54,349 in 2017, the last available data revealed. The numbers are expected to be higher now. 

The Directorate General of Shipping stated that not only Indian seafarers but the ratings are also much sought after by maritime nations. 

The government, moreover, offers encouraging welfare measures to seafarers. A committee headed by the Union Minister of Shipping, along with representatives from various stakeholders, including government ship owners and seafarers, decide and monitor the welfare issues of seafarers. The welfare measures are carried out by government bodies, trusts as well as private trusts. 

The Seamen’s Provident Fund Organisation (SPFO) is responsible for collecting the provident funds of seafarers from respective shipping companies, managing the fund, and distributing to the respective seafarer within the SPF rules.

The Seafarers Welfare Fund Society was constituted with the purpose of providing welfare facilities to seamen. 

However, India wants to do better. 

According to India's ‘Maritime Vision 2030’ formed in 2021, it aims to establish institutions and develop up-to-date programmes for training and upskilling seafarers.

As per the plan, India aims to promote research and innovation through setting up of maritime knowledge clusters and innovation labs, strengthen maritime education and training, build a strong ecosystem for seafarers focussing on welfare, grievance redressal, encourage port-led capability development. 

The government aims to upgrade and streamline the admissions process through a common entrance examination, drive academic partnerships with top tier schools, improve job opportunities for Indian seafarers by driving increased onboard training slots . 

India aims to take a leaf out of the Philippines’ book and digitise the certification programme. It aims to set up Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in Visakhapatnam (Naval Architecture), Chennai campus (Maritime Management), Chennai HQ (Research and PhD – Marine Engineering, Dredging, Port Engineering, Ocean Technology, Inland Waterways, Marine Occupational Health and Safety), Kolkata (Marine Engineering), Mumbai (Nautical Science) and Kochi (Maritime Law). 

“These CoEs would create support for basic and advanced strategic research, help in development of an ecosystem connecting research across disciplines both domestically and internationally and bridge the gap between the researchers and users generating a robust industry-academia- government link,” the document states.