A total of 145 crew disembarked from U.S. cruise ship Marella Discovery on Thursday , making them the first batch of Indian seafarers to be allowed by the government to return.
These seafarers had spent over 40 days in Indian waters as the government put together a standard operating procedure (SOP) for them in wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
After Marella Discovery called in at the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) around 10.30 a.m., the Indian crew were out through a four-stage disembarkation process before being sent to a government-authorised quarantine facility.
Also read: Coronavirus lockdown | First lot of Indian crew on board US cruise to return today
It was an emotional moment as the remaining crew of Marella Discovery , led by its captain Chris Dodds, bid their Indian colleagues goodbye, with promises that they would all sail through the pandemic and regroup for another voyage in the near future.
Five-step SOP
MbPT officials said that the SOP for sign-on and sign-off for seafarers to embark and disembark prepared by the Director General of Shipping was a five-step process.
While a check by the Port Health Officer and immigration clearance are regular activities, the SOP has included a COVID-19 test and quarantine till the results are negative. An electronic pass will be created for all those who test negative.
They will then have to apply to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a transit pass so that they can travel to their respective homes in various States by road. Each transit pass will be valid for one seafarer and a driver only. While the crew are from all over India, 99 hail from Goa, and the State government is making arrangements for them to return to their home State.
The disembarkation of the Marella Discovery crew, was carried out by shipping agent J. M. Baxi. “All the 145 crew disembarked on Thursday. After the clarifications on SOP came in late at night, there was limited time in hand. The transition was smooth,” said a senior official of J. M. Baxi and Company.
Three phases
The Ministry of Shipping brought out an order on Tuesday night that paved the way for Indian seafarers to return home. The process devised by the Ministry is going to be a three-phased one.
In the first phase, the government will allow seamen on ships docked at the Indian ports to disembark and sign off. In the second phase, those on ships in deep sea will be allowed to return by sea. And in the final stage, all those who have disembarked from their ships and signed off in a foreign country will be allowed to return.
Seafarers on foreign land would be allowed to return to India only when the government lifts its ban on flights and allows other Indians stranded abroad to return.
‘Extraordinary effort’
“It’s very heartening to see the extraordinary effort made by the ship owners for crew disembarkation. Patience paid off. The send off was given to the Indian crew by remaining staff, a tradition at sea was followed to the core by Captain of the ship,” Sanjay Parashar, member of the National Shipping Board and Chairman, International Maritime Federation, said.
Thanking the Minister of Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya for having the new SOP enforced today for seafarers, Mr. Parashar said that the return of these seafarers had made their families smile and give other stranded seafarers the hope that they too would be back soon. “We as an industry shall continue our efforts as we still have a job in hand,” he said.
