Privatisation-bound Shipping Corporation of India Ltd (SCI) is left with just three full-time functional directors after two incumbents superannuated on Monday.

The government is yet to name replacements for the director-level executives looking after liner and passenger services as well as personnel and administration.

While the government’s head-hunter, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had picked BK Tyagi for the role of director, passenger and liner services on August 27, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) is yet to sign off on the selection. Tyagi is currently a general manager with SCI.

India’s biggest ocean carrier by fleet size is without a full-time finance director after Harjeet Kaur Joshi, who helmed the finance department, was named the company’s chairperson and managing director in December last year.

Role rejig

Joshi, though, was entrusted by the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways to look after the finance portfolio as additional charge till a regular appointment is made or until further orders, whichever is earliest.

The Ministry has now entrusted Rajesh Sood, the director looking after technical and offshore division at SCI, to hold the additional charge of director, liner and passenger services till a regular appointment is finalised.

Similarly, Atul Ubale, the company’s director in charge of bulk carrier and tankers division, has been given the additional charge of personnel and administration division, till a regular appointment to the post.

Officials said that eligible candidates from other state-owned firms were reluctant to apply for the vacant slots in SCI due to the planned privatisation of the ocean carrier. Besides, poor succession planning has left very few internal candidates who are eligible to apply for the posts, forcing PESB to defer interviews.