Essar Shipping, India’s second largest private shipping company, continues to show exemplary courage in these extremely challenging times to ensure that its business remains unscathed and is not hit by shortage of its key asset: its crew!
From May to mid-September, the company has undertaken seamless crew change activity by organizing 201 seafarers to sign on and assisting 195 on-board to disembark from twelve ships at various ports in India and abroad.
The continued foreign travel restrictions posed a challenge to the company for changing the crew overseas, but thanks to constant perseverance from its leadership, Essar Shipping were successful in assisting 70 seafarers to sign on and disembark during the same period. This crew change was carried out at the ports of Fujairah in UAE, Ain Sukhna in Egypt and at Gibraltor port.
The crew change in India was relatively easier as thanks to the un-lockdown and resumption of local air transport and easing up of regulations on inter-state road movement.
Essar Shipping is committed to ensure safety of its sailors and despite challenges it has been one of few companies which continues to implement crew change process on board its fleet, despite a cost escalation.
At the Indian ports too, the situation is looking up as the processes are getting more and more streamlined with immediate medical and quarantine facilities also available at all major and top private ports to facilitate crew change and crew repatriation.
After March lockdown, conducting a crew change exercise was a big challenge as there were several restrictions imposed by the government, including limitations such as ban on cross border travel and port regulations globally. Several thousands of seafarers were stranded onboard ships or were unable to join their vessels, leading to a massive humanitarian crisis, along with fears of seafarer fatigue and rising mental health issues that can result into serious maritime accidents.