InterManager, the international trade association for in-house and third party ship managers, has underlined its commitment to rid the industry of crew criminalisation by creating an industry-wide think tank it hopes will translate its findings into international law.
It has created a new Criminalisation Workshop that will bring together experts from all areas of the shipping industry – managers, P&I Clubs, ship owners, maritime unions and regulators – to seek ways to protect the world’s seafarers.
Headed up by Brian Martis, Director of Monaco-based manager V.Ships, the workshop will develop proposals, to be presented to the International Maritime Organisation, that can then be integrated into future maritime legislation to protect the well being of the world’s seafarers.
InterManager has been scathing in its criticism of the unfair criminalisation of today’s seafarers, especially in the aftermath of the Hebei Spirit case. Hebei Spirit Master Jasprit Chawla and Chief Officer Syam Chetan were cleared of blame in April by the South Korean Supreme Court, for the country’s worst ever oil spill last December. However they remain unable to the leave the country pending a lower court decision.
This latest move underlines InterManager’s pledge to defend seafarers’ rights wherever they are in the world and from whatever nationality.
Guy Morel, General Secretary of InterManager, said: “We are very concerned because we need to protect our crew. They are ‘our people’ – our colleagues and also our responsibility. We also want to ensure that new regulations will demonstrate to potential seafarers and youngsters that they can consider this industry for a career without fear of unfair imprisonment.”
InterManager, whose members represent a worldwide fleet of some 3,000 vessels and more than 125,000 crew, believes the plight of the Hebei Spirit pair has already had a detrimental effect on recruitment at a time when seafarers are in short supply. “How can we encourage young people to take up a career in shipping when they see experienced and innocent crew criminalised in this way,” said Mr Morel.