Thiruvananthapuram: The Vizhinjam Steamer Agents' Association has voiced its opposition to the Kerala Maritime Board (KMB) alleging that the board is against the reinstatement of the crew change facility at Vizhinjam old port. The KMB had claimed that the Union govt has instructed the state not to restart the service, citing security concerns from the Bureau of Immigration under the ministry of home affairs.
The association had filed a writ petition in the high court challenging the suspension of crew change. The verdict on the petition is scheduled on Tuesday.
According to the association, no direct order from the Centre to halt crew changes at Vizhinjam has been issued. "A circular from the director general of shipping was misinterpreted by the FRRO in 2022. Our petition disputes this interpretation, and now, as the court is set to rule, the KMB seems to be undermining the service by providing misleading information," the association said in a statement. The association is planning to file complaints with the chief minister and ports and the shipping minister, demanding an end to the controversy surrounding the KMB's stance on this issue.
Recently, the KMB had stated that the Centre had informed the state that crew changes can only take place within ports or harbours equipped with necessary immigration facilities, and no legal framework currently exists to permit such changes at outer anchorages. Although the state govt had made repeated requests for the resumption of the facility, which was operational during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre denied it.
