News
Crew of 20 Indians and Lankan stuck on crippled ship in Baltimore for 7 weeks, can’t pay bills
Twenty Indian crew members and a Sri Lankan are stranded on board the Dali, the container ship that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. For the last seven weeks, they have been confined to the vessel due to an ongoing probe. With their phones confiscated, they cannot even pay bills for their families back home, the Indian media reported.
“They can’t do any online banking. They can’t pay their bills at home. They don’t have any of their data or anyone’s contact information, so they’re really isolated right now. They just can’t reach out to the folks they need to, or even look at pictures of their children before they go to sleep. It’s really a sad situation,” Joshua Messick, executive director of the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center, a non-profit organisation that works to protect the rights of mariners, was quoted as saying by the BBC.
Twenty-one sailors, 20 from India and one from Sri Lanka, are stuck on board the Dali, a container vessel that collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, since March 26 due to the ongoing investigation. That’s seven weeks.
The 21 on board were left without communication for weeks with their families, causing significant hardship for crew members with young children at home, and the outside world, as their mobile phones had been confiscated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a part of the investigation into the crash.
Tuesday’s initial report by federal safety investigators raises several unanswered questions.
For instance, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) outlined four power failures experienced by the 290-metre-long ship, reported ABC News.
The causes of three of these failures remain unclear, including two that happened just before the crash.
Despite explosives being used to remove part of the bridge from the ship’s hull on Monday, the crew still cannot leave the ship.
The crew of 21, including 20 Indians, will remain on board until the probe into the incident is completed, reported ABC News.
The US authorities have already begun interviewing the crew members on board the vessel, and have collected documents and voyage data recorder extracts as part of their investigation.
The crew, consisting of 20 Indians and one Sri Lankan, couldn’t leave the ship due to visa restrictions, reported the BBC.
The 21 crew members on the Dali are facing emotional distress, and they are also fearful of personal criminal liability.
The sailors’ situations caught the attention of their two unions — the Singapore Maritime Officers’ and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen.
In a statement together on May 11, they mentioned that “morale has understandably dipped”, driven by “unfounded fear of personal criminal liability” and emotional distress.
The unions also asked for the quick return of the sailors’ mobile phones so that they could connect with their family and make other arrangements at home, like paying their bills.
Dave Heindel, president of the Seafarers International Union, stressed that regardless of how long the investigation lasts, the rights of crew members and their welfare should not be infringed upon.
“We call on the authorities to be mindful that seafarers utilise mobile devices to conduct personal business for bill payments, and, more important, transfer money to their home country to sustain families. Crew members are becoming demoralised without the basic tools we all take for granted,” said Heindel, reported BBC.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
