(a) whether the incidents of detention of Indian ships abroad have increased;
(b) if so, the number of Indian ships detained abroad during the last three years and till date, location-wise;
(c) the reasons for detention of these ships; and
(d) the efforts being made to get them released and make 2005, a detention free year?
MINISTER OF SHIPPING, ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI T.R. BAALU)
(a) Yes, Sir. The detention figures so far during this year are higher than for the corresponding period during the last 2 years.
(b) A statement containing the details of Indian ships detained abroad since 2002 and till date, location-wise is enclosed.
(c) General cause for detention of Indian ships is inadequate Flag state control and can be attributed to poor house keeping, lack of adequate attention towards preventive maintenance both by the ship owners and the ship staff and poor interaction by the ships’ staff with the Port State Control Officers at the time of inspection as also inadequate Port State Control inspection due to shortage of surveyors.
(d) A series of measures have been initiated to ensure that Indian ships are better prepared for Port State Control Inspections. This includes substantial increase in ships’ inspection by Government Surveyors. Numbers of self-inspections by the technical officers of the shipping companies have increased substantially under the directions from the Director General of Shipping. Classification Societies have been instructed to ensure that ships are put up for inspection by the owners when ever they are due and no ships are allowed to operate with significant deficiencies. Also, efforts are afoot to strengthen the Mercantile Maritime Administration by way of augmenting the strength of surveyors and opening new Mercantile Marine Departments.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6974 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.05.2005
INDIAN SHIPS DETAINED ABROAD DURING 2002
No. Name Company Date Place MOU
1 Dev Prayag Shipping Corpn. Of 9.1.02 Australia Tokyo India Ltd.(SCI)
2. Rani Padmini SCI 31.3.02 Australia Tokyo
3. Jag Arnav  Great Eastern Shipping 4.5. 02 Russia Paris Co. Ltd.(GESCO)
4. Lok Pragati SCI 8.5.02 Singapore Tokyo
5. Ravi Das SCI 14.5.02 U.K Paris 6. Chettinad Prince Chettinad 20.502 China Tokyo
7 Lok Prakesh SCI 6.6.02 USA USCG
8. Prospects Prospects Shipping Ltd. 13.6.02 Spain Paris
9. Lok Kranti SCI 23.6.02 Canada Paris 10. APJ Anjli Surrendra Overseas Ltd. 5.8.02 Singapore Tokyo 11. Lok Maheshwari SCI 10.8.02 Australia Tokyo 12. Maharastra SCI 12.8.02 Australia Tokyo 13. Vishwadoot Varun Shipping Ltd. 13.12.02 Singapore Tokyo 14. Mandakini SCI 31.12.02 Australia Tokyo
INDIAN SHIPS DETAINED ABROAD DURING 2003
No. Name Company Date Place MOU
1 Jag Pragati Gesco 7.1.03 South Africa IOMOU 2 Chennai Valarchi Essar Shipping Ltd. 18.1.03 Singapore Tokyo 3 Richa Mercator Lines Ltd. 5.2.03 Iran IOMOU 4 Jag Priya Gesco 20.2.03 Singapore Tokyo 5 Lok Pragati SCI 28.2.03 Australia Tokyo 6 APJ Shalin Surendra 10.3.03 Iran IOMOU 7 Chanda Essar 11.4.03 Canada Paris 8 Sanmar Sonata Sanmar 8.4.03 Italy Paris 9 Good Day Eta Shipping 6.5.03 Singapore Tokyo 10 Jag Arpan Gesco 10.5.03 Belgium Paris 11 Jag Anjali Gesco 15.5.03 South Korea Tokyo 12 ICL Raja Rajan ICL Shipping 23.6.03 Singapore Tokyo 13 Mandakini SCI 13.9.03 Iran IOMOU 14 Surya Kripa Varun Shipping 25.10.03 Canada Paris 15 Good Light ETA Shipping 29.11.03 Australia Tokyo (Ex. ICL Parthibhan)
INDIAN SHIPS DETAINED ABROAD DURING 2004
No. Name Company Date Place MOU Â 1 Sanmar Pavilion Sanmar 2.1.04 Germany (Hamburg) Paris 2 Chennai Polivu ESSAR 21.1.04 Iran IOMOU
3. Gangasagar SCI 21.1.04 Australia(New Castle) Tokyo
4. APJ Shilan Surrendra 4.2.04 USA(New Orleans) USCG
5. Murshidabad SCI 7.2.04 Australia(Abbotpoint) Tokyo 6. Mandakini SCI 16.2.04 Hong Kong Tokyo
7 Good Light Eta Ship 18.2.04 Holland (Rotterdam) Paris (Ex-ICL Parthibhan)
8. Good Light Eta Ship 15.3.04 Canada (Port Cartier) Paris (Ex-ICL Parthibhan)
9. Jag Ratna GESCO 29.3.04 Iran IOMOU 10. Jag Pranam GESCO 2.4.04 Holland Paris 11. Guru Kripa Galleon 26.4.04 Iran IOMOU 12. TCIâ€Arjun†TCI Seaways 30.4.04 Japan (Kobe) Tokyo 13. APJ Anjli Surrendra 13.5.04 Houston,USA USCG 14. Guru Prasad Galleon 19.5.04 Iran IOMOU 15. Arcadia Progress Arcadia (Fleet) 14.9.04 Zhagjiagana (China) Tokyo  INDIAN SHIPS DETAINED ABROAD DURING 2005
No. Name Company Date Place MOU
1 Ratna Abha India Steamship 3.1.05 Singapore Tokyo 2 Vispataurini Polaris Marine 25.1.05 Russia Paris 3 Maanav Star Ind-Aust Maritime 26.1.05 Iran IOMOU 4 Lok Maheswari SCI Ltd. 27.1.05 Malta Other 5 Nand Bhagirathi Essar 10.3.05 Iran IOMOU 6 Surya Kripa Varun 3.4.05 Australia Tokyo 7 Ristakez Polaris 4.4.05 Iran IOMOU 8 Lok Pratima SCI Ltd. 18.4.05 South Korea Tokyo