MARGAO
Implementation of Merchant Shipping rules by the Directorate of Shipping insisting on 10th standard pass eligibility for getting a CDC (Continuous Discharge Certificate) may affect over a thousand Goan seamen working on cruise liners and in the merchant navy.
For, many a seamen from Goa in particular and the country in general have been sailing on the cruise lines and in the merchant navy without SSC qualification. Seamen associations said that seamen sans SSC qualification, who are presently sailing, will be rendered jobless if the rule, which has come into force on January 14 last, is implemented in letter and spirit.
A delegation of the Goan Seamen Association of India (GSAI) led by President Franklin D’Costa called on the TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai with a plea to take up the issue with the Union Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari to waive the Std X pass educational qualification and the 1000-odd Goan seamen from being rendered jobless.
In the petition, the GSAI delegation drew attention of the TCP Minister to the new rule wherein the order issued by the Directorate of Shipping has made SSC passing certificate mandatory for an Indian CDC. “Many crew members are working on board for many years and they don’t have the SSC certificate. This rules makes them difficult to apply for the Indian CDC,” Franklin said, while seeking the intervention of the TCP Minister.
Taking up cudgels for the Goan seamen, the TCP Minister has dashed off a letter to the Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari requesting him to issue necessary directions to the Director of Shipping to take corrective measures and amend the rule in the interest of persons working for the past many years and who need to apply for CDCs to continue their services.
“The new rule states that an applicant has to possess SSC certificate to be eligible to apply for the CDC. However, numerous Goans have been sailing and working on cruise liners/passenger ships/merchant navy without CDC as SSC was not mandatory to obtain employment on such vessels and neither was it required to possess a CDC. However, possession of CDC is made mandatory now to work on board all vessels. Hence, the amendment to the rule would make majority of seamen unable to apply for CDC to continue their service on board such vessels,” the TCP Minister said in his letter to Union Shipping Minister.
