Tomini-Destiny

The 10 crew members of the 'Tomini Destiny' who had disemarked at Cochin on April 30 after their contracts were overdue for more than two months due to the lockdown, lalleged that the owner had not listened to their safety concerns and forced them to carry out discharge of cargo without proper health and safety preautions at Chittagong. The crew had faced harassment and intimidation by both owner and charterer. The company refuted the allegations. The master Rajnish Samuel Shah and the other nine men were currently under quarantine in a hotel after medical tests. He said that more than 50 stevedores had boarded the ship and conducted the cargo discharge for nearly 14 days without wearing masks, gloves or having had helath screening. The crew was not provided suffucient masks and sanitizers. When they decided to stop the discharge, the CEO allegedly threatened them of termination. The owners delayed the crew change and asked them to continue to Durban, which violated the maritime labour convention 2006 and the emplyoment agreements. Shah had to approac the Indian government directly.

A group of 10 Indian crew members of the 'Tomini Destiny', who were stranded aboard the ship due to the restrictions imposed in view of the Covid- 19 outbreak, disembarked at Kochi port on April 29, 2020. The ship set off for South Africa after the men, who joined duty nine months ago, signed out oin the morning. Among them were nine North Indian officers and a Kasaragod native. The vessel was the first vessel to call at Kochi port to disembark Indian seafarers after the nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 24. Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Director General (DG) of Shipping had issued circulars and provided standard operating procedure (SOP) for crew change to be conducted at Indian ports to bring back Indian seafarers stranded on board various Indian and foreign ships. The vessel operators diverted the vessel from the planned route from Chittagong in Bangladesh to Port Elizabeth to facilitate the crew repatriation. Though final SOP was not released, the operators decided to divert the vessel after contacting Indian authorities. The Kochi authorities had made all arrangements complying with the directives issued by the MHA and DG Shipping. The crew members underwent medical tests and were shifted to a hotel where they will be quarantined for 14 days. After completing the quarantine, they will be permitted to go to their native places by road for which the DG Shipping has provided epasses. The shipping firm has made arrangements for transportation of the seafarers to their native places.

An agreement between Tomini Shipping and the crew on board the 'Tomini Destiny' has been concluded on April 7, ensuring that the ship is now approaching the port of Chittagong to unload the cargo. The agreement means that only a few people will have access to the ship while in port. The matter could be settled after a mediation between the 32 Indian crew members and the shipping company, carried out by the ship's flag state Marshall Islands.