Financial Times

Lanka seeks jobs on Indian ships under CEPA talks
Sri Lanka has asked India to recognize qualifications of its seafarers to enable them to find employment aboard India’s growing fleet of merchant ships.
The request for recognition of seafarer certificates was made in talks under the services component of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) being negotiated between the two neighbours.
“Sri Lankan seafarers are issued seamen’s certificates by marine training colleges here,” said K.J. Weerasinghe, Director-General of the Commerce Department, which is the focal point for CEPA talks.

“We have asked India to recognize these qualifications under the Mutual Recognition Agreements being worked out between the two countries for recognition of each other’s professional qualifications.

“Under the professional services category, other countries must recognize our qualifications to enable our professionals to work abroad.”
The Department of Merchant Shipping issues certificates of competence to Sri Lankan merchant seamen but these are currently not recognized by India.
Such recognition would enable Sri Lankan seamen to seek employment on board Indian owned or Indian flagged merchant vessels.

India’s merchant fleet is growing fast to keep pace with the country’s accelerating economic growth and foreign trade. Although about 26,500 Sri Lankans have received certification as seafarers over the past 30 years only about 12-15,000 are believed to be active and have regular employment.

One of the key problems of seafarers finding jobs on board foreign merchant vessels was that trainee seamen had limited opportunities for training at sea since only very few vessels are operated by Sri Lankan ship owners.
They need to have sea training to be considered suitable to be employed on board ships as foreign ship owners only want trained seafarers.

The shipping industry sees good potential in the crewing business because of increased demand from a rapidly expanding world fleet driven by strong economic growth in China and India and high charter and freight rates.

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