CHENNAI: When a fire broke out aboard a cargo vessel off Oman’s coast earlier this month, 24-year-old Indian seafarer K Gopianan managed to call home once.
“There is a fire on the ship,” he told his father, adding, “I am following the captain’s instructions.” That was the last time, and he has not been heard from since.
More than a fortnight after the incident off Duqm, a port town in Oman’s central coast, Gopianan’s family says it has received no formal communication from the ship’s manning agent or owners on either the search efforts or accountability, raising fresh questions over compliance with India’s marine casualty reporting rules and the protection of seafarers recruited through private agencies.
Gopianan, a cook aboard MV WARBA, had left Tamil Nadu on January 22, travelling from Tiruchy to Mumbai via Bengaluru before flying to Muscat, the vessel’s boarding point. He had been at sea barely two weeks when the fire broke out on February 8 when the ship was enroute to Africa.
“I spoke to my son when the fire broke out. After that, there was complete silence,” said Gopianan’s father Kamaraj, who runs a small mess in Tiruchy. The family says it learnt about the missing of Gopianan only on February 9, when the ship’s master, Captain Bhoominathan, called them.
Kamaraj disputes the master’s subsequent statement that his son jumped into the sea, returned briefly to the sinking vessel, and was then lost. “Why would anyone return to a sinking ship?” he asked, alleging the version was meant to limit the owner’s liability.
The Mumbai-based manning agent, CSMS Shipping Services (OPC) Pvt Ltd, has rejected claims of a communication breakdown. Ashish Yadav of CSMS told TNIE he had been in touch with the family members and said an official letter confirming Gopianan’s missing status would be issued shortly.
Under India’s Merchant Shipping Notice No. 26 of 2002, shipping companies and recruiting agents are required to report accidents involving Indian seafarers to the DG of Shipping within 48-72 hours.
When contacted, PC Meena, deputy director general (DDG), told TNIE he will revert when a set of questions were posed to him on Tuesday. On Wednesday, again he parried off the queries.
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) inspector K Sreekumar said he has urged the director general of Shipping to act, alleging violations of the Seamen Employment Agreement, sub-ILO wages for the cook, and failure by the manning agent to promptly inform the family about the onboard fire.