Dredging360.com

Name: Omkara Prem
IMO: 9521576
Flag: India (since 01-04-2009)
MMSI: 419786000
Callsign: AVAT
Former name(s):
- Tian Hai Jun 6 (Until 2008)
Vessel type: Dredger (since 01-04-2008)
Length: 99.85m
Breadth: 17.6m
Draft: 6m
Gross tonnage: 4,607 tons
Summer DWT: 6,292 tons
Home port: Mumbai
Class society: Lloyd´s Shipping Register
Build year: 2008

Thirty-two Indian seafarers continue to be in distress at Porbandar, which has led to the Captain of MV Omkara Prem issuing an 'abandon ship' notice.

On Friday, DNA Money had reported how Mumbai-based Mercator Ltd's dredger had raised a May Day call.

On Thursday, the Mercantile Marine Department's (MMD) representatives surveyed the vessel. In their report, a copy of which is with DNA Money, MMD remarked that the dredger is not seaworthy and its life-saving equipment, signalling lamp, machinery, etc are deficient.

The Indian nationals on board have been demanding ration, potable water and fuel. “They haven’t been paid their salaries for the last couple of months, and the company claims that they are in financial stress. With foul weather ahead, the situation will only become worse,” said captain Sanjay Parashar, who is in touch with the crew.

The sailors have refused to step out of this Indian flagged vessel unless all their dues are cleared, for which they have approached the insurers to get financial security revoked. The shipping firm paid the dues from January to March, while the salaries are pending. With fuel almost finished, they are able to use the generator only for three hours daily and the ration with them will last only for another two days. At the time of going to press, Gujarat Maritime Board surveyors were on board to check the condition of this 2008-built vessel as well as the crew,” said Omkara Prem’s captain Karuna Shankar.

While some 3 lakh people were reportedly evacuated from coastal Gujarat to keep them out of the path of Cyclone Vayu, lives of 32 seamen were abandoned to their fates, and the whimsy of the storm's churn, all in the interest of keeping port assets safe.

The cyclone alert, which had thrust state machinery including its ports into hectic protective activity, was expected to hit Gujarat's coast on Thursday. Aiming to minimise the damage to their vessels and other infrastructure, Porbandar port, like others, asked the ships docked at the harbour to cast off to the seas on Wednesday. As a result, 32 mariners on a rundown vessel found themselves between the devil and the deep blue sea.

The ship, a dredger called Omkara Prem, had been at Porbandar port since May 29 for want of supplies, fuel, water, and so on. The following day, a surveyor from Mercantile Marine Department marked the vessel unseaworthy, or unfit to sail, as it was deficient in its life-saving equipment, signaling lamp, machinery, and so on. On May 31, Captain Karuna Shankar, the vessel's in-charge, raised a May Day call, as reported by DNA in a May 31 report. ('Sailors on Mercator dredger rasie May Day call'.)

The call was attended to and supplies replenished, but faults in the vessel were not rectified. Yet, the crew were asked to stay aboard, which is against the law, says the captain. "The port authorities violated the law on many counts: by asking the ship to leave the port despite it being detained by MMD, and secondly by forcing us to board the ship after a call to abandon was given," said Captain Shankar.

At the moment, the ship is somewhere in the Gulf of Kutch facing strong winds and rough waters.

Narrating Wednesday's exchanges after having de-boarded, Captain Shankar said, "We were threatened by the police and the port authorities that action would be initiated if we did not follow their instructions. We were also told that we would be put behind the bars for life for having abandoned the ship."

The cyclone, it turned out, deviated from its expected path, sparing the ship. "Had the storm proceeded as per its earlier path, there could have been damage to this unseaworthy vessel putting 32 lives at risk. Fortunately, storm Vayu changed its course and its impact wasn't very severe," said Akash Verma, who has been in touch with the crew after having blown the whistle on social media.

The 32 seafarers — unpaid since April, low on supplies and fighting the vessel owner and authorities — want to leave the ship. For this to happen, the owners will have to arrange for a new set of crew

When Director General of Shipping Amitabh Kumar was contacted for his response, he said, "The owner of this vessel needs to make the dredger seaworthy apart from replacing the crew."

DNA Money tried getting in touch with Omkara Prem's owner, Mercator Ltd's chairman Harish Mittal, but did not receive a response.

The petition has been filed against the state of Gujarat, along with Gujarat Maritime Board, Port Officer of Porbandar Port, MMD, and Superintendent of Police of Jamnagar

A habeas corpus petition has been filed in Gujarat High Court to free Captain of unseaworthy dredger Omkara Prem, who along with 31 seafarers were made to sail out of Porbandar Port hours before Cyclone Vayu was to make a landfall at Gujarat's coast.

Wife of Captain Karuna Shankar Kundala, Bhargavi Shankar has moved the court seeking court intervention.

As reported earlier by DNA Money, this Mercator owned vessel has been is in a rundown condition and was also detained by Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) as the dredger failed on safety parameters.

The petition was filed earlier this month and has been admitted by the High Court.

In the petition, Captain Shankar's wife has sought relief stating that he be "freed from illegal detention imposed upon him by being forced to remain upon the unseaworthy vessel – Motor Vessel Omkara Prem."

"A new bench was assigned which summoned the respondents. The circumstances of the case will change considerably by July 10. I hope that justice will be served to the ship's crew," said Akash Verma, who brought out these 32 crew's plight in public domain.

The case is to come up for hearing on July 10. The petition has been filed against the state of Gujarat, along with Gujarat Maritime Board, Port Officer of Porbandar Port, MMD, and Superintendent of Police of Jamnagar.

DNA Money had earlier reported that MMD had marked the vessel unseaworthy as it was deficient in its life-saving equipment, signalling lamp, machinery, and so on. On May 31, Captain Karuna Shankar, the vessel's in-charge, had also raised a May Day call.

Secondly, the crew was also short of provisions, supplies, fuel, water, and so on. Though the call was attended to and supplies replenished, but faults in the vessel were not rectified. Yet, the crew were asked to stay aboard, which is against the law.

"The port authorities violated the law on many counts: by asking the ship to leave the port despite it being detained by MMD," Captain Shankar had said earlier to this newspaper.

RAJKOT: In severe cyclonic condition and rough sea, a ship declared unfit to undertake sea journey is asked to leave a port. When situation normalizes, the same vessel again becomes ‘unseaworthy’ and is not allowed to berth.
This is exactly the story of MV Omkara Prem, the dredger, which was grounded at Porbandar port after the Jamnagar marine mercantile department (MMD) found it unseaworthy.