India has granted special permission to 10 Chinese boats to enter its waters and dock at Ratnagiri port with cyclone Vayu expected to make landfall on the western coast on Thursday.
The Coast Guard followed protocol and provided shelter to the boats. A Coast Guard official said, “Ten boats have initiated communication and sought shelter following a routine set procedure. The first communication took place on Tuesday evening.”
Coast Guard Inspector General K.R. Suresh said it is common practice for vessels to seek shelter at ports in nearby countries during a calamity. He said, “On Monday, we received information that two Chinese vessels were off Ratnagiri. Immediately, a team of the Maharashtra Police and the Coast Guard went and checked on them. On Tuesday, eight more boats arrived at the port.”
Police officials said the boats were brought in under a security cordon. The Maharashtra police, the Maharashtra Maritime Board and the Customs are monitoring the vessels in co-ordination with Indian Coast Guard. Most of the vessels are fishing boats. The district collectorate said throughout Wednesday huge sea waves lashed Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts. The Maharashtra Maritime Board, which is authorised to issue permission to boat operators and fishing vessels, suspended services on Wednesday after the India Meteorological Department issued Signal 3 cautionary advisory. Wind speeds of 40 knots or 70 kmph were reported while waves were above three metres.
The Mumbai Port Trust and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust have been directed to send reports every six hours to the Director General of Shipping. “We will be on watch on Thursday before taking a decision on resuming normal operations,” port officials said.
