THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The delay in approving an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Vizhinjam International Seaport is making crew sign-offs a cumbersome process, even in emergency situations. Experts have flagged the lack of formal permission for the entry and exit of ship crew members as a significant operational bottleneck – particularly concerning for a port that regularly receives ultra-large vessels.
An ICP brings together key border control services – customs, immigration, quarantine, and security – under a single roof, allowing for faster and more efficient clearance of cargo and personnel, and reducing bureaucratic delays and paperwork.
On Friday, the port had to depend on the Kerala Maritime Board’s (KMB) ICP facility to sign off a crew member from the container ship MSC Rikku, berthed at Vizhinjam, due to a medical emergency. The seafarer, a Telangana native, was suffering from an anxiety disorder. With the help of city-based Waterline Shipping and Logistics Private Limited, the crew member was transferred by tug boat to the KMB port and then taken to a private hospital in the city for treatment.
Waterline Shipping had earlier coordinated a similar emergency crew sign-off operation from the outer anchorage 18 months ago. Such crew change activities generate revenue for the port through various charges, including port dues, outer anchorage fees, channel fees, vehicle entry, and tug hire services.
Port authorities have clarified that the ICP approval process is in its final stages. “We expect to have the ICP operational within the next two months. Once in place, it will enable smooth and direct crew movement through the port,” an official said.