The massive support given to the master and chief officer of the Hebei Spirit may persuade younger people to choose a career at sea, says Roberto Giorgi, president of manager V Ships.
The massive support given to the master and chief officer of the Hebei Spirit may persuade younger people to choose a career at sea, says Roberto Giorgi, president of manager V Ships.
Giorgi describes the fight for justice in South Korea as being of "David and Goliath" proportions but says he was encouraged by the welcome-home celebrations last week in Mumbai and Chennai for the Hebei Spirit 's Jasprit Chawla and Syam Chetan.
Meanwhile, the head of a local maritime college in Chennai has told Giorgi that instead of being frightened away from a life at sea because of the "Hebei Two" detentions, cadets had recognised the support they had received and were encouraged to press ahead with a seafaring career.
Chawla and Chetan returned to India recently after being detained in Korea for 550 days. Korea's High Court confirmed an April Supreme Court decision that the men were innocent of property destruction.
However, they still carry convictions for causing pollution by not doing enough to prevent Korea's worst-ever oil spill when in December 2007, the 270,000-dwt VLCC Hebei Spirit (built 1993) was struck by a Samsung Heavy Industries barge in the Yellow Sea.
Giorgi, on returning from the Mumbai and Chennai receptions, used the David and Goliath analogy to describe the might of a big corporation like Samsung pitched against two individuals who had behaved "professionally" throughout.
They had to be defended, whatever the cost, and the "unbelievable and incredible" welcome home that Chawla and Chetan received from the Indian maritime cluster made Giorgi say: "We can do something for our industry." The next "phase" is to amend international law to prevent future "unfair criminalisation" of seafarers, for which InterManager, spearheaded by V Ships's Brian Martis, has already set up a committee.
Giorgi says it should be an industry-wide campaign aimed at, among other things, ensuring that seafarers in future can secure bail and return home. The intention is to work through International Maritime Organisation (IMO)/International Labour organisation (ILO) guidelines, with one possibility being a revamp of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC).
Last week in India, representatives of the government, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), classification societies, shipowners - including Shipping Corp of India (SCI) - and even other shipmanagers were "100% united" in preventing a repeat of the seafarers' criminalisation, says Giorgi.
"They [Chawla and Chetan] did everything by the book - a great job - and I believe we as a company tried to defend their rights," said the V Ships boss, who also gave credit to others working on their behalf, including law firm Ince & Co and protection-and-indemnity (P&I) club Skuld.
Around 100 people attended the cocktail reception at a top Mumbai hotel, staged also to thank the Indian shipping community for its support. The following evening a similar event was held in Chennai. Wives and families of the Hebei Spirit duo attended.
Giorgi says Chawla now has the task of persuading his family, following the trauma in Korea, that he should return to work. Chetan expects to return within the next three or four months.
"But for both gentlemen there will be a career with V Ships," pledged Giorgi, who is also president of shipmanagement trade association InterManager.
He says the fight will continue to clear their names, although it seems likely that now legal avenues have been exhausted, this battle will be away from the public eye.
Giorgi says the priority is to make sure that the men will not face restrictions, including problems with visas or the freedom to enter ports worldwide, because of their convictions in Korea.