For Lakshadweep's Andrott islanders, boarding ship during monsoon means risking lives

Kochi: The sea appears a shade of dark cyan. Squally weather has waves splashing white frothy patches all over the water's surface.

On the right of the camera's gaze is a white ship; on its dock a number of people staring anxiously at a boat inching towards the big vessel.

The boat is full. The craft appears to be struggling to wade through the pre-monsoon churn of the mighty waters.

It has onboard passengers from Andrott in Lakshadweep who have booked their tickets to board a ship that is set to leave for Kochi.

As the boat gets closer to the ship, it appears like a wreck, reminiscent of one of those haphazardly put together migrant boats/inflatable dinghies that ferry refugees to European shores. Someone onboard the ship can be heard sighing: “There seems to be no end to this, what a tragic situation.”

A random video of the forced adventure shot by someone onboard the ship looked like a sequence straight out of a survival drama. The struggle, however, has been real for the people of Andrott, one of the 36 coral islands of Lakshadweep, a recurring drama for decades during monsoons.

The video shot on June 13 went viral on social media. It invoked a sense of déjà vu for Mujeeb Khan, a political activist from Kalpeni, one of the islands.

“I was a pre-degree student in Andrott during 1997-99; the risk travellers face during monsoons has remained the same since then,” he said.

He recalled an instance: a relative of his fell into the sea while boarding a ship. The person was rescued by fellow travellers. The video of the dangerous transit at sea is proof of the administrative apathy towards the people’s call for a better and safer facility.

The passengers have to endure the hardships, as seen in the video, because the geographical and climatic conditions of the region make it difficult for a ship to berth. Berthing is the process of bringing a ship to a designated location, such as a quay, wharf, pier or jetty and anchoring it.

A Lakshdweep official, who requested anonymity, told Onmanorama that only the ship seen in the video – MV Kavaratti – faces berthing difficulty due to its size. It’s the biggest vessel operating between Lakshadweep and Kochi. It can carry 700 passengers. Other ships, smaller in size, can get inside the port just like in Kochi, the official said.

“With the existing infrastructure, it is difficult to berth a ship of MV Kavaratti’s size in Andrott. The weather was harsh on the day when the video was shot,” the official said.

The official told Onmoanorama that such a big ship can be moored only when the third stage of the breakwater project is completed. The second stage was completed about 13 years ago. Breakwater is a barrier built out into the sea to protect a coast or harbour from the force of waves. The third stage of the project is still in the proposal phase; the official said they were awaiting nod from the central ministry.

Safety concerns

Mujeeb, who works with the Nationalist Congress Party which is a strong force in the islands, flagged the violations of safety measures while ferrying passengers to the ship using boats. Citing the video, he said not even life jackets are provided to all the passengers on the boats.

The Lakshadweep Administration Department of Port, Shipping and Civil Aviation had on May 29 issued an office memorandum urging officials concerned to strictly implement safety measures aboard boats and country crafts carrying passengers. The first instruction in the document was that port assistants should not allow any boat to leave jetty or ship without everyone onboard including crew members wearing life jackets. The document stated safety measures were not being followed during embarkation/disembarkation process despite clear standing orders.