The shipping ministry had opposed the government’s plan to leave Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), citing the strategic role of the public sector operator, but accepted the proposal after a discussion in a high-level panel. At the meeting last week of the secretaries committee (CoS), which recommended the strategic sales of SCI and the oil retailer BPCL, the ministry had signaled its concern, arguing that the company’s fleet of ships was useful for transporting oil , cargo and even passengers during a war or crisis, sources told to a daily newspaper.