By
Capt Ruchin Dayal, IIMS President
The Dangerous Erosion of Iron Ore Sampling Standards in India: A Call for Urgent Action
We Have Been Here Before
Fifteen years ago, India exported over 100 million tonnes of iron ore annually, with Goa alone contributing half of that volume. During that period, two vessels—MV Black Rose at Paradip and MV Asian Forest at Mangalore— capsized and sank after loading iron ore fines. Crew members lost their lives. Other vessels were held in litigation, stopped from sailing, their crews unknowingly saved from potential disaster. The cause in each case was cargo liquefaction: wet iron ore fines loaded during monsoon rains turned into slurry, shifted catastrophically, and destroyed the vessel’s stability within minutes.
Those casualties prompted immediate regulatory intervention. The Directorate General of Shipping established a framework for marine laboratory approval. The IMSBC Code became mandatory. Shippers began covering stockpiles with tarpaulins. Masters gained clearer authority to refuse unsafe cargo. The industry learned, adapted, and improved.
Today, as iron ore exports from India prepare to resume after years of decline, we face a troubling reality: the infrastructure, expertise, and vigilance that emerged from those 2009 tragedies have quietly deteriorated. We are returning to the conditions that caused those casualties. The question is not whether another incident will occur, but when.
The Cycle of Decline
The numbers tell part of the story. India’s iron ore exports collapsed from over 100 million tonnes in 2010 to less than 10 million tonnes by 2015. Goa’s mining ban in 2012 removed 50 million tonnes from the market overnight. This decline was not merely statistical—it represented the systematic dismantling of an entire safety ecosystem.
Shippers facing zero revenue laid off contract labour and machinery operators, retired experienced mining and shipping staff, and closed offices. The 450 barges that operated in Goa in 2010 sat idle, degrading and wasting. Ports that had relied on iron ore export income faced severe cash flow constraints. Survey and sampling companies, which had thrived when handling hundreds of samples monthly, suddenly received only occasional requests. Many reduced staff and equipment. Others closed entirely. Those that remained often resorted to untrained contract labour with no accountability.
The marine laboratories approved by the Directorate General of Shipping—starting with the pioneering eDOT Marine Laboratory and eventually expanding to eight facilities—struggled to maintain standards when sample volumes dropped to a fraction of previous levels. The economic pressure was immense. When business declines by 90%, maintaining ISO accreditation, calibrated equipment, trained personnel, and quality systems becomes financially unsustainable for commercial entities.
THE REPORT | MAR 2026 | ISSUE 115 | 95
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156
