Unannounced 'ban' on entry of Indian sailors in Chinese ports

New Delhi, Dt

For more than a year now, China has been plotting to create some problems for India, creating a tense situation on the eastern Ladakh border. After withdrawing from the eastern Ladakh border, China has now imposed an unannounced 'ban' on the entry of Indian sailors trying to hit India on the economic front. China has stopped ships from any country in the world where Indian sailors are working at Chinese ports. The All India Seafarers and General Workers Union has claimed that thousands of Indian sailors around the world have lost their jobs due to China's conspiracy.

The All India Seafarers and General Workers Union has lodged a complaint with the Minister of Ports, Shipping and Maritime Waterways, Sarvanand Sonowal. The union said in a letter to the Union Minister that such a ban by China would directly or indirectly jeopardize the jobs of more than 21,000 Indian sailors from tomorrow. "This is another move by China," said Abhijit Sangle, president of the organization. China wants to stop Indian maritime workers from working on ships of many companies around the world so that it can promote its sailors.

"We have written to Union Minister Sarvanand Sonowal in this regard," he added. The DG of Shipping and the Ministry of External Affairs have also been informed about the matter. We have requested various Ministries to take this matter seriously. Abhijit Sangle said that he has written a separate letter to External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar requesting him to take immediate action in this regard. Earlier this year, China also barred foreign ships carrying Indians from entering Chinese ports. As a result, about 50 Indian crew were stranded in China for a few days.

Captain Sanjay Parashan, a member of the National Shipping Board, said China was now imposing its own conditions on foreign ships. According to him, China has told foreign shipping companies that they can only transport goods from Chinese ports or enter China's maritime border if they abide by their terms. The conditions imposed by China on foreign shipping companies say that if they want to enter China's maritime borders, they will have to stop hiring Indians on their ships.

Rakesh Koelho, president of the Indian branch of a British shipping company, said China's ban on Indian crews began in March. He said that the Corona variant is believed to be the reason behind it in India, but now the Delta variant is being seen in all the countries. So there is no point in China's argument. He said Indian sailors are considered the best in the world, but the US, UK and Western European countries have stopped hiring Indian crews following China's move. In their place they are now recruiting citizens of the Philippines, Vietnam and China. The ship industry is dominated by Indian sailors. Over the last several years, 2.5 lakh sailors from India have been employed in shipping companies worldwide annually, out of which 2.1 lakh sailors were stationed on foreign ships.

However, Shipping DG Amitabh Thakur said he had not received any letter in this regard. He also said he was not aware of any official sanctions imposed by China. In addition, we have not received any information in which the jobs of more than 21,000 Indian sailors are at risk. He said the ban on Indian sailors by China could be a personal opinion of some people.