Mumbai ship collision panel wants 25-year-old ships banned from India

A NATIONAL committee of inquiry, constituted by the Indian shipping ministry a month ago to look into the Mumbai ship collision between the 2,314-TEU MSC Chitra and the aging 33,113-ton bulk carrier Khalijia 3 on August 7, has recommended banning all ships older than 25 years old from all of India's ports.

The report contains 18 suggestions, reported India's Hindu daily. Some of them are relevant for Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru ports, some others for all major ports and the balance policy initiatives to be taken by the ministry.

The other suggestions of the panel, also known as the Captain PVK Mohan Committee, include the constitution of an independent casualty investigation agency to report directly to the ministry.

This would establish an authority along the lines the British SOSREP (Secretary of State Representative) with overriding powers to ensure proper co-ordination among various agencies at the time of casualty, restructuring in various ports to tackle emergencies such as collisions.

"A free flow of information between the office of the director-general of Shipping and various ports is critical for acting on information on any un-seaworthy ship in any port," said Captain Mohan. "Sadly, the present level of communication leaves much to be desired."

K Raghuramaiah, former chairman of Paradip Port Trust, and Captain Y Sharma, head of the International Maritime Training Centre, Mumbai, were members of the committee which submitted a report to the ministry.

The committee is of the view that the authorities of the Mumbai Port Trust and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust must upgrade the MoU signed by them more than 20 years ago. Also, a separate vessel traffic system (VTS) authority should be formed under the Mumbai Port Trust to provide pilot service along the entire stretch of the channel.

Other recommendations include that harbour pilots should be picked up from a common pool and work under a unified command. The manning, training and qualification of operators and supervisors of VTS should be upgraded.

The proposals for widening the channel and pilot boarding areas should be expedited. Also, navigational aids such as fairway and navigation buoys and transit lights should be installed without delay, the report said.
(Source:www.schednet.com)