India's Shipping Ministry Asks Public for Help on Cold-Case Fatal Accidents

India's Directorate General of Maritime Administration is looking for information about a long list of long-past fatality and missing-persons cases involving Indian seafarers, some dating back as far as 2013. It is putting out a public appeal partly because of a loss of records stemming from the closure of past victims' employers and crewing offices.

The list covers 30 cases affecting 46 Indian seafarers, including 30 confirmed fatalities and 16 missing crewmembers.

The DGMA says that it wants to collect as much evidence as possible about the cases, hoping to fill in any possible gaps, and it is soliciting input from the public and from shipping interests.

"In respect of several such cases, the recruitment and placement service (RPS) companies, through which the concerned seafarers were recruited, are presently either under suspension or their [licenses] have been withdrawn/ceased to be valid," the agency explained. "Obtaining updated information and records from the concerned RPS companies has, in several cases, have been inadvertently found to be restricted and limited."

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