HC relief for sailors

MUMBAI, DECEMBER 16: The Bombay High Court today allowed a group of sailors to clear the Navigational Watch Keeping Officer's Course NWK...

MUMBAI, DECEMBER 16: The Bombay High Court today allowed a group of sailors to clear the Navigational Watch Keeping Officer8217;s Course NWKO in parts enabling the canidates to apply for higher position in a foreign-going ship.

The division bench of acting Chief Justice Ashok Agarwal and Justice S S Parkar today heard the petition filed by a group of seafarers who had cleared the written A8217; part of the course. This part comprised a written exam in Mathematics and Physics, while the parts B, C, D and E consisted of oral tests and exam of visual signals.

The exam is conducted by LBS College of Advanced Maritime Studies Mumbai and candidates can attempt the exam any number of times to clear various parts. The exam is held under the purview of Merchant Shipping Examination of Masters and Mates Rules, 1985. The successful completion of the NWKO course makes the sailors eligible for the post of Second Mate on a foreign-going ship after passing a similar exam pattern.

The established assessment pattern ofNWKO was changed in January 1998 when the principal of the LBS college issued a notice stating that students will be given a last chance to clear the NWKO course to be held in June 1998, failing which students will have to appear afresh for a new course titled Near Coastal Voyage NCV. The new system was in keeping with the provisions of an international convention of maritime nations.

The petitioners, represented by advocate Rui Rodrigues, argued that the candidates should be allowed to appear for the old course, since the new system was introduced without a reasonable notice period. For those who are 8220;partially passed8221; in the A8217; part of the exam, chances of passing in the remaining parts have been scuttled due to the new system. The students are suddenly faced with the prospect of getting one and only chance of passing in one or more parts of the exam, they added.

Moreover, the restructured course is confined to sailing in five countries Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, whereasthe earlier course entitled the certificate holders to sail on all prestigeous foreign-going ships.

The court today allowed the 8220;partially passed8221; sailors to appear for the remaining parts in January and March 1999.