When 30 of the 145 Indian seafarers stranded on the U.S. cruise ship Marella Discovery reached their homes in Mumbai on Sunday, it was the culmination of many firsts.
One, the cruise ship took off for Europe in just eight hours of berthing at the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). Before that, the crew members had spent over 40 days in Indian waters and over 10 days requesting docking at Mumbai.
“The crew were actually off the ship in three hours. The ship had left the port in eight hours,” said commander Nevil Malao, vice president, J.M. Baxi and Company Ltd., who led the operation. Despite the short notice from the time the standard operating procedure was notified, “we did well,” he said.
Two, it was the first time doctors and paramedics got on to the MbPT pier, carrying out COVID-19 tests on the seafarers. As per the plan, all the seafarers were segregated according to the State they hailed from and put into buses that took them to separate hotels. The crew bid each other goodbye before the port health officer came on board for a check-up.
The 145 crew came from Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi.
“Today, after their test results were negative, 30 of the crew who live in Mumbai were dropped off first. It was literally like a home delivery of sorts,” said Commander Malao, who was in the Indian Navy for more than 22 years.
In view of the strict norms laid down by the Director General of Shipping, only 22 crew members each will be sent home on board 44-seater buses. “E-passes have been applied for so that the other seafarers too can be sent home. This should be done in another day or two,” Commander Malao said.
Permissions from the different States the seafarers hail from is also a requirement.
Captain Sanjay Prashar, member, National Shipping Board and chairman, International Maritime Federation said Mumbai was the best port as far as crew change was concerned. “Besides Mumbai, Paradip, JNPT, Kolkata, Goa, Chennai, Kakinada, Kandla and New Mangaluru are also doing crew change,” Captain Prashar said.
While the focus was on Marella Discovery , Commander Malao and his team, along with MbPT chairman Sanjay Bhatia and his team comprising nodal officer Gautam Dey, too managed a crew sign-in, where seafarers boarded cargo ships: another in the list of ‘firsts’.
Three people on a cargo ship comprising its first officer, his wife and a crew member were signed off. They were replaced by another first officer and a crew member. All five were subject to COVID-19 tests and allowed to disembark and board only after the reports were negative.
MbPT officials are, meanwhile, preparing for the arrival of many more ships, notably a cruise liner with about 900 Indian crew sailing from West Asia. Besides Mumbai, the ship’s owners have sought permission to call in at Goa and Kochi ports, to ensure that the crew can disembark closer home.
