ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Sunday that it had fined a foreign shipping company Rs500,000 [$1,793] after a Syrian crew member was found traveling on the vessel with an expired seaman’s book.
According to Marine Traffic, a web-based platform and mobile app that provides near real-time tracking of ship movements, MT Asana is an oil and chemical tanker sailing under the flag of Tanzania. The tanker was inspected by the FIA after it reached Karachi Port, the agency said in a statement.
A Syrian national aboard the ship was found traveling on an expired seaman’s book while his flag state documents were also missing, the FIA said.
“FIA’s strict inspection uncovers serious violation of international maritime laws,” the agency said. “During interrogation, crew member admits failure to renew the seaman’s book.”
A seaman’s book is an official document that certifies a person as a member of a vessel’s crew. It is issued by maritime authorities of different countries under their respective flags. Meanwhile, flag state documentation ensures that a vessel is legally registered and authorized to operate internationally.
The FIA said it summoned the ship’s master and fined the shipping company Rs500,000 [$1,793] for the violation. The fine was deposited into the national treasury after legal formalities were completed.
The FIA vowed that it would not compromise on national and maritime security.
“Monitoring at Karachi Port further tightened; zero-tolerance policy against suspicious foreign crew and documentation,” the agency said.
The FIA has heightened monitoring of foreign vessels amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz passageway.
On Tuesday, it fined the crew of a foreign ship at Karachi Port that arrived from Oman after it was found that they were carrying illegal seafarer documents.
The agency said its initial investigations revealed that the seaman’s books had been obtained via courier after completing online training.
