The Ministry of Home Affairs has scrapped the coastal sign-on/sign-off and shore leave pass (SLP) procedures for crew and supernumerary of Indian flag ships solely engaged in coastal trade, dredgers, barges and research vessels operating within port limits.
The shore access of crew, supernumerary of Indian flag coastal vessels plying exclusively on local routes shall, henceforth, be regulated by the port authorities, the Home Ministry said in a November 20 office memorandum.
In shipping, “supernumerary” refers to a person on a vessel who is not part of the regular crew.
The move comes after industry demands to simplify procedures, as Indian seafarers were facing difficulties under the current immigration system for sign-on/sign-off and shore leave passes during coastal runs. The requirement for crew members to be physically present at immigration offices for issuing and extending SLPs every 10 days was causing operational challenges and hindering them from performing their duties on board.
While scrapping the procedures, the Home Ministry has asked the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to direct the port authorities concerned to keep a record/data of the crew, supernumerary of the Indian flag coastal run vessels.
The Bureau of Immigration shall conduct periodical surprise inspections and seek crew lists from the Indian flag coastal run vessels, dredgers, barges, research vessels and similar types/categories of vessels operating within port limits, the Home Ministry wrote in the office memorandum.
(source: ET Infra)