The Shipping Ministry has accorded approval for two passenger ships of 500 passengers capacity at a cost of Rs. 400 crores for the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Union Minister of Shipping G. K. Vasan has announced.Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the new office complex of Andaman and Lakshadweep Harbour Works (ALHW) at Port Blair, he said these ships will be inducted into the inter island services soon and added that more vehicle ferry jetties will be constructed by the ALHW in the important islands to carry out immediate evacuation operations effectively in times of disaster.
“ALHW reconstructed almost all the jetties and port structures damaged in tsunami, including the vehicle ferry jetty at Havelock. The Shipping Ministry has prepared Maritime Agenda 2020 to ensure the development of the shipping sector across the country,” Mr. Vasan observed.
He stated that the role of shipping sector assumes more significance in the island Archipelago, in view of its strategic location connected by only air and sea routes.
“My Ministry realized the importance of the shipping services as the life-line of the islanders and sanctioned many vital projects to improve the shipping services and develop the jetties and port structures all over the islands,” the Minister noted.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament from the island group, stressed the need for constructing major jetties in all the inhabited islands to solve the logistics problems. He appealed to the Minister to sanction projects for constructing vehicle ferry jetties in Neil and Long islands, besides major jetties in Little Andaman and Diglipur to provide access to the mainland bound vessels for the convenience of the people living in these remote islands.
Expressing concern over the developments in the Myanmarese occupied Coco Island located very close to the northern border in Diglipur, Mr. Ray pointed out: “The construction of a major jetty (all-weather harbour) in Diglipur will go a long way in strengthening our security all along the coast line.”
Mr. Pradeep Kumar Sinha, Shipping Secretary, Mr. Anand Prakash, Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Mr. K. Sekar, Chief Engineer, ALHW, were among the others who addressed the gathering.
HIGH POWER PANEL
In a meeting jointly chaired by the Union Minister of Shipping and Lt. Governor to A & N Islands Lt Gen (retd) Bhopinder Singh at Raj Niwas, Port Blair, a High Powered Committee comprising senior officers from the A & N Islands, Ministry of Shipping, Directorate General of Shipping and Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) was constituted to coordinate and take on-the-spot decisions relating to shipping sector like annual passenger surveys, acquisition and chartering of vessels, issuance of ‘A’ Certificates, exemption from Simplified Voice Data Recorder and Bridge Navigation Watch Alarm System.
In the meeting, it was also decided that at least three ships would always remain functional for the mainland-island sector. Completion of MV Mayabunder would also be expedited by awarding the remaining works at the earliest. MV Campbell Bay would undertake sailing in about a fortnight at the reduced speed before it goes for dry docking for rectification of major defects.
Other issues relating to establishment of dock and ship repair facilities and establishment of A & N Maritime Board were also discussed. The notification on vessel related charges and revised cargo charges will be issued expeditiously along with an authority to the Administration to revise these notifications time to time. The post of Chief Port Administrator will also be filled up at an early date.
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