The Kerala government on Thursday wrote to the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways requesting to grant permission for the Chinese crew and experts on board the project cargo vessel that called at the Vizhinjam International Seaport here on the day to disembark the ship.
The office of Minister for Ports Ahammad Devarkovil has confirmed that the Port Secretary has written to the Union Ministry in this regard. The Hindu on Thursday published a report, Chinese crew not allowed to come ashore at Vizhinjam.
According to sources, the company that brought the container-handling cranes to Vizhinjam aboard the project cargo vessel has also written to the Centre requesting it to consider its appeal for granting permission for the staff to disembark the ship and oversee the work here. However, it remains to be seen if the Centre will grant permission for the same.
As the engineers from China were not granted visas, a delegation of service engineers, comprising mostly Indians, was arranged by the Chinese company from Mumbai to coordinate the unloading, installation, testing, and commissioning of the cranes at the berth. The ship will have to leave the port by the third week of this month. The port developer will have to pay a hefty fine in case of delays in unloading the cranes.
