MARGAO
Saying that around 2000 Goan families of seafarers will benefit from the Director General of Shipping’s order on CDC, the Goan Seamen Association of India on Thursday profusely thanked Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai for taking the issue of the beleaguered seafarers to its logical conclusion.
The GSAI has appealed to the seafarers who are sailing to obtain a letter of the company stamped by the Caption and Master of the cruise liner mentioning the number of years of service put in by them on the international cruise liners and submit the same to the DG shipping.
Addressing the media, GSAI President Franklin D’Costa thanked Nitin Gadkari, Vijai Sardesai and Narendra Sawaikar for giving a big relief for the seafarers working on international cruise liners without the SSC qualification. “We had taken up the issue with the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai and the South Goa MP, who took up the matter with the Union Surface transport Minister,” he said.
GSAI spokesman Dixon Vaz said the issue of the SSC eligibility criteria for CDC finally stands resolved.
He further said the seafarers and widows who had applied for the seafarers pension scheme will start receiving the same from April.
In his address, co-founder of GSAI Frank Viegas said that more than 90 per cent of the world trade depends on shipping industry. He said
that TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai had walked the talk by promising and following up on the issue.
