Bhubaneswar, Jan. 22: The National Shipping Board (NSB) has recommended the deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at all the ports in the country.
At present, the CISF is in charge of only the major ports.
There are 13 major and 187 minor and medium ports along the country’s 7,157-km coastline.
The NSB, which was set up in 1959, has also proposed an Indian Maritime Service on the lines of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).
Addressing a media conference, chairman of NSB, Captain P.V.K Mohan said security was the foremost thing in the shipping industry and CISF had the necessary expertise in the area.
“CISF has been providing security at the various airports across the country. It has adequate expertise to ensure security at all the ports,” said Mohan.
Following the Mumbai terror attack, the NSB has been taking measures to tighten security at all the ports in the country.
According to sources INS Chilika has trained nearly 750 CISF personnel for marine operations.
The NSB has also proposed a tax waiver for Indian nationals working on merchant ships engaged in foreign trade. Mohan said such a move would encourage Indian nationals to take up jobs in the merchant navy.
The 118th meeting of NSB, which was held in Bhubaneswar, discussed measures to prevent the entry of sub-standard ships in the Indian waters. It also proposed to set up an Indian maritime Service similar to the Indian Administrative Services and Indian Police Service.
The director general of shipping, S.B Agnihotri, said the board had also proposed to adopt measures to check the credentials of any ship entering India.
He also said all ports must comply with tier-1 pollution handling capability.
The chairman of Paradip Port Trust, G.J. Rao, who was also present at the meeting, said Paradip port has complied with all the norms concerning marine pollution and a pollution control cell had been set up to monitor pollution at the port.
On September 9, 2009 a bulk carrier, MV Black Rose, had sunk off the Paradip coast, triggering concern about oil spillage and the consequent threat to marine life.
