Shipping companies plan extra charters to bring 20,000 seafarers home

Seafarers typically join merchant vessels or return to India each month as a part of their contracts. But due to Covid-19 lockdowns and travel curbs, the crew change process got delayed

Over 20,000 Indian seafarers are set to return home or join duties as shipping companies and maritime bodies plan additional charter flights.

"Between May and July 1 we have facilitated 40 charter flights enabling travel of around 8,000 seafarers. We have received applications for another 10-15 charter flights," said Captain Daniel J Joseph, Deputy Director General of Shipping.

Typically around 20,000 seafarers join merchant vessels or return to India each month as a part of their work contracts. But due to Covid-19 related lockdowns and travel restrictions the crew change process got delayed.

Scheduled international flights from India are still suspended resulting in large back log in crew change. However the governement has allowed travel of seafarers on charter flights. Charter flights are also being used to bring home stranded employees of cruise liners and around 2500 of them have  already returned home. 

Most chartered flights are being operated and planned to Colombo, Doha and Singapore for crew movement. Doha is being used as a transit point with crew connecting on Qatar Airways global flights.

In a statement, IndiGo said it flew 129 seafarers from Doha to Delhi on June 11. SpiceJet is operating charter flights between India and Colombo for shipping companies.

"Crew change at overseas ports has picked in the last fortnight. We have arranged eleven return charter flights from IndiGo to Doha and are considering additional flights to Colombo, Hong Kong and other destinations which are easing travel restrictions. A large number of crew changes are expected off the port of Galle in Sri Lanka which is strategically located between South East Asia-West Asia shipping routes," said Captain S M Halbe, chief executive officer or Maritime Association of Shipowners, Shipmanagers and Agents (MASSA).