Foreign shipowners react to Indian monsoon vessel ban

Foreign shipowners react to Indian monsoon vessel ban Foreign shipowners are asking the Indian government to rethink a recent ban on vessels older than 25 years operating in Indian waters during the country’s monsoon season.
   The ban, announced by the Ministry of Shipping last week, was intended to prevent casualties involving vessel accidents, particularly during the treacherous summer monsoon months, a story in the Economic Times said Monday. A study by the ministry indicated that there was a correlation between accidents and ship age.
   However, the ban only applies to foreign-flagged vessels and thus puts Indian shipowners in a comparatively advantageous position, they said. They argued that the ship’s age should be less of a determining factor than its working condition, the quality of the operator and the level of crew training.