KOCHI: The decision of the Kerala Maritime Board to declassify M T Malabar, the only sea-going tug owned by the state and registered with the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), has triggered a row.
According to the Seafarers Confederation of India, a BMS affiliated union, the vessel had helped the Maritime Board earn a good revenue as it was used for a crew change at Vizhinjam and Kollam ports. "The declassification of the tug will cause job losses for Near Coastal Voyage (NCV) officers involved in safe manning of vessels and port to port operations. With the Vizhinjam international port set to be opened in three years, the Maritime Board could have earned good revenue using the tug," said general secretary K S Anilkumar.
The tug was used to tow M V Deep Sethu, a ship belonging to Lakshadweep from Kochi to Azheekal which proved its utility. The other five tugs owned by the Maritime Board have Kerala Inland Vessel registration which has area restrictions in sea operations. The decision to declassify the tug is aimed at helping private operators, said Anilkumar.
The Maritime Board had moved the tug from Kollam to Kochi on February 19, 2021, with an expired certificate after which the Merchantile Marine Department (MMD) had slapped a fine of Rs 8 lakh for violation of Merchant Shipping Act rules.
Denying the allegations, Maritime Board CEO H Dineshan said the decision to de-classify the tug was taken as the board was incurring a loss of Rs 35 lakh per year for maintenance and compliance with IRS guidelines. The tugs are used mainly for berthing and unberthing maneuvers at ports. Maintaining the MMD registration incurs huge expense and Kerala Inland Vessel registration is enough for such operations. In case of sea operations, the board can avail single voyage permission from the MMD, he said.