The latest reports of maritime crime to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) worldwide 24-hour Piracy Reporting centre (PRC) indicate a spike of incidents in Indonesian waters. Although there has been concerted action by marine police and maritime authorities in the South East Asian region to combat piracy and robbery, reports suggest a recent wave in attempted armed robbery and other attacks.
Representation Image – Credits: IMO Collection/flikr.com
West Africa currently remains the most...
Image Credits: Sotiri Dimpinoudis – Twitter
Following the escalation of diplomatic tensions between Western countries and Iran, involving aggressive action against merchant shipping and Iran’s seizure of the British-flagged, Swedish-owned oil tanker Stena Impero and its 23 crew, the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) is holding discussions on the safety of vessels transiting through the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz.
There are shared concerns across the shipping industry that seafarers...
The ITF plays a major role in helping seafarers to recover wages owed to them when they are at the sharp end of poor treatment by shipowners.
In 2018, ITF inspectors helped to retrieve USD37.8 million in owed wages, according to ITF inspectorate coordinator Steve Trowsdale in an interview with Splash (Splash247.com).
The pattern is being repeated this year, with USD15.5 million already recovered in the first five months of 2019, as “unscrupulous shipowners are targeting the wages of innocent...
https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/itf-wins-total-of-38m-in-back-pay-for-crew-in-2018/
A record number of migrants and asylum-seekers were picked up from small boats attempting to make the perilous crossing of the English Channel to reach Britain on just one day. Although the numbers involved are a tiny fraction of the traffic across the Mediterranean, there are concerns that so many are putting their lives at risk in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Image for representation purpose only Credits: TORM A/S
On just one morning, 1 June, which was a particularly calm day,...
More than 30 young Venezuelans are feared to have drowned while making the crossing to Trinidad after the fishing vessel carrying them capsized in rough seas five kilometres from the Venezuelan coast. The Venezuelan and Trinidadian coastguards rescued nine survivors.
Image for representation purpose only Credits: TORM A/S
People trafficking has been a growing problem across the seven-kilometre-plus stretch of water separating Venezuela from the Caribbean island. The United Nations high...
https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/migrants-crossing-to-trinidad-result-in-30-drowning/
The United Kingdom authorities detained six foreign-flagged vessels during January for failing port inspections. The Togo-flagged Aressa was found to have 23 deficiencies with 13 grounds for detention, including the absence of a range of required documents, such as seafarers’ employment agreements, maritime labour compliance and evidence of financial security for repatriation. It also had inadequate life jackets and poorly maintained life-saving appliances. St Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged...
https://www.marineinsight.com/shipping-news/uk-detains-six-foreign-ships-during-january/
Maritime unions in Canada have taken solidarity action in support of colleagues in Australia sacked after an Australian shipping company decided to replace them with a foreign crew on flag of convenience (FoC) vessels – employed on lower pay and with poorer conditions.
Representation – Image Credits: itf-oecd.org
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has condemned the decision by the BHP and Bluescope companies to stop using Australian crew on its shipping vessels – ending 100 years of...
The ITF Dockers’ Section Occupational Safety and Health Working Group agreed to launch an aggressive action plan to improve the safety and health of the world’s port workers.
At the inaugural meeting of the working group in Hong Kong, working group members came from Asia, India, Australia, Europe, the Arab World, Africa and the Americas to discuss and implement strategies to fight back against the mounting death and injury toll across waterfront worldwide. Over the past calendar year, more than...