Saturday, December 5, 2009

CHENNAI: Mariners plan peaceful demo


By G Saravanan

Chennai, December 04: Mariners’ Welfare Guild, a platform for marine organisations and professionals in South India, has planned a peaceful demonstration on Seafarers Day (celebrated nationwide on the first Saturday of December) against continuing criminalisation of mariners, near Chennai Port Trust.
Speaking to Express, Capt S Pullat of the guild, said: “During the last decade there has been a tendency to criminalise mariners for accidents on the high seas to appease the public.”While criminalisation has now reached the Asian region also after Europe, many countries seem to be ignoring the international conventions they are signatories to, denying the rights of
seafarers and not treating them fairly, lamented Capt Pullat.
For example, mariners have been detained in Taiwan, Algeria and India for accidents that happened while on duty.
Pullat said, “Indian Capt Glen Aroza, Master of Panama flag Motor Tanker TOSA, has been detained in Hualien Port Taiwan since April 17 this year on the allegation that his ship collided and sank a Taiwanese fishing trawler, killing two fishermen.”

It was first alleged that the TOSA had collided with a Taiwanese fishing trawler in international waters, killing two fishermen. But inspections of hulls of the trawler and TOSA revealed no physical contact between them. It was then alleged that the 21.6 metre long, 100-tonne trawler capsized due to ‘the wake’ (wave) of the TOSA.
Anyone with even a nodding acquaintance with ships and seas would know that it is impossible for a trawler of that size to capsize in waves created by a ship in wind force 5/6 on the Beaufort Scale - unless the trawler was inherently unstable and unseaworthy,” said Pullat.
“It is not the first time that Taiwan has detained an innocent Indian seafarer in violation of international law. In 1996-1999, Captain Raj Goel was detained in Taiwan for three and- a-half years. The maritime community should join hands once again the way it did in the Hebei Spirit case, to bring justice to Capt Aroza, he added.


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