KARACHI: International shipping market is booming with manpower shortage and large number of jobs are available for fresh Pakistani merchant navy officers and skilled deck crew. But unfortunately, MoMA bureaucracy did not bother and cared how Pakistan was losing hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars of foreign remittance in lieu of salaries of seafarers if employed regularly under well-knitted system.

Informed sources disclosed that Merchant Navy ratings and junior officers are suffering due to unavailability of Examiners for EDH (Efficient Deck Hand) and International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping for Seafarers (STCW) exams. After Capt. Obaid Mustafa, a Nautical Surveyor relinquished charge due to completion of his contract; various STCW and watch keeping exams and EDH certifications were on hold due to absence of examiners.

However Ministry of Maritime Affairs (MOMA) has still not appointed any examiners/surveyors for various vacant Nautical Surveyor posts at Mercantile Marine Department and Director General Ports and Shipping. There were three slots for nautical surveyors vacant for a long time for unknown reasons; causing delays in examination process for making eligible fresh sailors.

Analysts have urged government of Pakistan and Ministry of Maritime Affairs to urgently look into this matter and appoint examiners/nautical and engineering surveyors and examiners as a top priority. They have suggested that in case appointment of surveyors takes a long time due to official procedures and red tape then at least they could take some temporary but emergency measures to ease off candidates’ awaiting time that is presently unduly being wasted. It is pertinent to mention here that volunteers with required qualifications are available and were willing to assist MoMA free of charge until a permanent solution is found. Muhammad Abdul Qadeer Sahi, stating his ordeal disclosed that one year ago engineers suffered the same issues due to non-availability of a chief examiner for engineers. Many fresh applicants suffered for one year. I was also one among them. We knocked on every door in MoMA and even approached then-Minister Ali Zaidi but all in vain. Finally, we decided to go to Sindh High Court. And by grace of Almighty, we got judgment in our favour and finally, SHC ordered to appoint examiner and ultimately we got Wamiq Abrar Siddique as chief examiner. My Opinion for my deck people is, do not waste your time in government offices. Just go to SHC and surely you will get justice. According to maritime experts to manage present critical situation, MoMA should adopt a few short-term measures, including some temporary special measures. Government must take assistance from PNSC and KPT, many Master Mariners with required qualifications are working in these federal entities and in national interest and for benefit of seafarers awaiting examinations and subsequent jobs on merchant vessels they are ready to serve DGPS/MMD. For example; a few of them were already providing assistance to DGPS before also in various matters.

Volunteers with required qualifications are also available in Karachi and are willing to assist MoMA free of charge until a permanent solution is found. Make a pool of sailing captains and chief engineers to render their services to DGPS/MMD while they are ashore and count this time period for permanent vacancy when/if available, analysts added..

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 21 2022

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