In Gujarat&rsquo;s coastal belt, two mechanized sailing vessels (MSVs) loaded and ready for export remain stranded after immigration procedures for their crews were abruptly suspended at Salaya and Okha ports. The sudden halt has left exporters anxious, seafarers grounded, and cargo delayed.
According to the Indian Sailing Vessels Association, until August this year immigration clearance at these ports was handled offline by local marine police stations, as no online infrastructure exists. But on August 25, immigration checks were taken over by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) office in Rajkot. Despite the shift, the infrastructure gap was never addressed.
On September 10, vessel owners were told over the phone that officials could no longer process crew sign-on and sign-off at Salaya Port. No alternative system was communicated. As a result, two vessels scheduled to sail to Oman with export cargo via Porbandar&nbsp;MSV Hari Sagar and MSV Al Juberi&nbsp;were held up, each carrying a crew of 15.
The Association warned that this disruption directly hits three critical areas: the movement of Indian-flagged MSVs, the livelihood of Indian seafarers, and the timely movement of export consignments already lined up at Porbandar and Mundra ports.
A similar crisis had unfolded three months earlier at Vadinar and Sikka ports. That deadlock was resolved only after intervention from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which directed Bedi Marine Police Station to handle immigration temporarily. Association members now demand the same arrangement for Salaya and Okha.
&ldquo;We respectfully request immediate directives allowing Bedi Marine Police to process immigration until online systems are set up locally. Without this, trade and livelihoods will continue to suffer,&rdquo; wrote General Secretary A.H. Bhaya in a letter to the Home Ministry, copies of which were marked to the Shipping Ministry, the Gujarat Chief Secretary, and the Director General of Shipping.
For exporters in Gujarat&rsquo;s Devbhumi Dwarka district, every day of delay means losses mounting into lakhs. For the seafarers, it means uncertainty and stalled wages. As one vessel owner put it, the crisis is less about paperwork and more about survival.
Unless the Ministry steps in with a directive, Gujarat&rsquo;s centuries-old sailing vessel industry already under strain, may find itself becalmed at a critical moment for India&rsquo;s coastal trade.

Sailing Vessels Stalled as Immigration Halts

Crew sign-on/off blocked at Salaya, Okha ports; exporters urge MHA to act swiftly

Sailing Vessels Stalled as Immigration Halts

Crew sign-on/off blocked at Salaya, Okha ports; exporters urge MHA to act swiftly

September 15, 2025 | 23:14 IST