Mumbai:

Officials with the Indian National Shipowners’ Association (INSA) say the navy, in its circular, has said that its fleet strength may be inadequate to meet the transportation requirements to bring people back to India (See ‘’).

“The navy has asked for vessels of the merchant shipping lines in a time-bound manner such as 72 hours and one week to bring the Indian citizens back from the Gulf regions,” INSA officials add.

The navy has also asked DG Shipping to give full details of the vessels of each domestic shipping line operating in the Gulf region such as category of the vessel, tonnage and other technical specifications.

Says Shipping Corporation of India director (liner operations) S S Rangnekar: “In emergency situations it’s the duty of all shipping lines to assist the navy, if required. In consultation with the government, we will take a decision on the issue soon.”

The navy has a separate office, Naval Control of Shipping Office, to monitor and coordinate the movement of merchant vessels during wartime. This office also guides and advises shipping lines on routes to be followed while transiting war-prone regions.

Captain Paradeep Correa, a senior manager with Great Eastern Shipping Company, says his company has not received any information in this regard either from DG Shipping or INSA so far. “If the navy is making it mandatory we will give our vessels to assist them. But the GE Shipping management has to take a final decision on the issue.”

“Normally, passenger vessels are used for transporting public from various destination. Merchant shipping companies are mainly operating through cargo carriers or oil tankers. But, if necessary, people can even travel in these vessels. It’s all up to DG Shipping and the navy as to how they can utilise merchant shipping vessels,” says a director with Varun Shipping.

Domestic merchant shipping lines, meanwhile, have denied having been intimated by the companies’ crew that they would not like to operate in the Gulf region in the context of war. “We don’t know what they have on their minds. In the last two conflicts in the Middle East — the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf War — the crew did come forward and agreed to carry cargo to India,” says GE Shipping managing director Vijay K Sheth.

Seamen unions had earlier demanded that they should not be asked to travel to the Gulf region if the war breaks out in Iraq. But officials with Essar Shipping, Varun Shipping and SCI have said that they would continue their operations in the Gulf region, war or no war.