SHIPS HELD UP AT CALCUTTA
Some 10 Indian ships have been held up
at Calcutta port after four days of industrial action by local
seamen, a spokesman for the shipowners' association INSA said.
    The dispute has prevented local crewmen signing on and off,
but has not affected foreign ships with international crews
docking at Calcutta, which exports tea and jute and imports
machinery, crude oil and petroleum products, the spokesman
said.
    Foreign ships may also suffer if dock workers join the
action, he said. The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) has
asked its ships to avoid the port until the dispute is over,
National Union of Seafarers in India president Leo Barnes said.
 Reuter
