Trauma from Red Sea Attacks Adds to Seafarer Shortage
Galaxy Leader, was hijacked. His crew maintained a "pirate watch", scanning the water for hijackers."We were afraid and anxious," he said "Guarding our ship was scary."Mariners have support if they choose not to go, said John Canias, head of maritime operations with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), the leading seafarer's union.The nearly 360,000 seafarers covered by an ITF agreement worldwide have the contractual right to refuse to sail in designated war zones and demand repatriation at the shipowner's expense. In April, one such zone in
Abandoned Seafarers Repatriated After Five Months on Livestock Carrier
Thirteen Filipino seafarers, the last of 43 abandoned on two livestock carriers, have made it home after more than five months onboard the Yangtze Harmony.The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) intervened after the ship’s owners abandoned the vessel and its crew in October 2022. At that time, the Singapore Sheriff court seized the Yangtze Harmony on behalf of Glander International Bunkering over an unpaid fuel bill. That began a legal process to sell the ship and pay off its debts, including the US$429,972 in unpaid wages owed to the crew.The ITF said the Yangtze Harmony&rsquo
Seafarer Shortage Stands in Way of Ukraine Grain Corridor
Finding enough seafarers willing to sail ships stuck inside Ukraine's ports is set to pose a major challenge to the proposed grains corridor designed to ease an international food crisis.Russia and Ukraine last week signed a deal to restart grain and fertilizer exports that have been blocked in the Black Sea and on Wednesday Turkey unveiled a center to coordinate the resumption of shipments.But some 80 ships remain blocked in Ukraine and the evacuation of most of their crew members means more mariners are needed in the region to get the cargoes moving.Henrik Jensen, managing director of Danica
COVID-19 Vaccine Offered Free for Seafarers
. The vaccines are provided by the German, Belgium and Dutch governments, while Boers assists with arranging the appointments and transport to ensure it’s arranged smoothly.While Boers is supporting efforts to vaccinate all seafarers, maritime executives such as Esben Poulsson, Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping, say the new delta strain of COVID-19 has hampered the shipping industry.Poulsson added that crew changes were not happening quickly enough to satisfy increased demand for products, especially from the US and Europe in the lead up to Christmas, putting more pressure on already
Jamaica Opens for Crew Changes and Repatriations
; under its Disaster Risk Management Act and has put in place measures to speed up the transit of registered seafarers through its borders.An estimated 600,000 seafarers are waiting for crew changes – 300,000 on vessels and 300,000 waiting to embark – according to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF). Many of those on board have been working for up to four months past their contracted dates while those waiting to embark are typically not receiving wages, leaving them facing financial ruin.GOJ is encouraging ship owners to make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible
ITF Expands into Asia Pacific
The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has established its latest Contacts Network, covering Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Thailand.ITF has seen a significant increase in seafarers requesting assistance from countries without an inspector or contact, in recent years.Attempting to resolve these requests is often challenging due to several factors, including the local political context and the effectiveness of maritime authorities.To address this problem the ITF initiated a project in 2018 to create a network of contacts
"Maritime & Me" Campaign Targets Women
with WISE, a community interest company that provides potential career options and case studies for girls after they take an online personality quiz. WISE will develop a personality quiz specific to the shipping industry, as well as a teaching pack for those interested in a career in the sector. The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) suggests that women represent only 2 percent of the global maritime workforce.An IMO spokesperson commented: “Shipping has historically been a male-dominated industry. However, IMO believes that empowering women fuels thriving economies, spurs productivi
OSM CEO to Build Opportunities for Female Seafarers
, through to company cultures, and the conditions and attitudes on board. At OSM we’re working to attract new female colleagues and celebrate the success of the ones we already have. I’d encourage the rest of the industry to do the same.”The right balanceThe International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) estimate that only 2% of crew in the world fleet are female, with 94% of those working on either cruise or passenger ships. OSM is targeting the ambitious goal of increasing its female crew ratio to 5% across its core sectors (tankers, bulkers and offshore). The firm already
New Guidelines on Welfare Aspects of the ILO MLC
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have jointly released new ‘Guidelines for implementing the Welfare aspects of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC)’.Adopted by the International Labor Organization in 2006, the MLC aims to ensure comprehensive worldwide protection and enforcement of the rights of seafarers, and to establish a level playing field for ILO Member States and shipowners committed to providing decent working and living conditions for seafarers.ICS and ITF emphasize that a number of countries with highly
Seafaring Cadets Upskilled the ‘Singapore Way’
Maritime Training Fund (SMTF), which is established in collaboration with SMOU, maritime authorities, shipping employers and other co-operating partners for developing quality and qualified seafarers to man Singapore flag ships. This idea was first mooted when SMOU and TSFA, both affiliates of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), inked a Bilateral Arrangement last year and discussed the possibility of preparing Thai seafaring cadets to work on Singapore flag vessels.Conducted by Singapore trainers from WMI, the two-week training assimilated the cadets to the workings onboard
Port Worker Crushed to Death in Jakarta
According to an announcement from the International Transport Workers’ Federation, an Indonesian worker who was killed on the job at the International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) facility in Jakarta overnight. According to the ITWF report, Local unions say the 40-year-old man was fatally crushed at 22.10 local time when a refrigerated container was dropped onto his truck, crushing the cabin and killing the driver, the second workplace fatality at the Port of Jakarta in three weeks. “Every worker deserves to come home safely at the end of their shift and our thoughts
Australia Bans Bulker for Underpaying Crew
, has been banned from entering Australian ports for a period of 12 months after authorities uncovered a scheme which saw the vessel’s crew being intentionally underpaid. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it received a complaint on Friday, September 8 via the International Transport Workers’ Federation alleging discrepancies in the payment of wages for the crew of the DL Carnation. An AMSA surveyor attended the vessel in Gladstone and found that the ship was operating with two sets of wage accounts on board: one showing the amount of pay the crew should have
Martek Bucks the Trend on Gender Divide
and IMO published a book to highlight the achievements of women in the maritime sector, concluding the maritime industry needs more women, particularly in leadership roles. A year later the IMO launched the video “Making Waves: women leaders in the maritime world” in support of International Women’s Day 2015. The video reports on continuing efforts by IMO and the World Maritime University (WMU) to promote the advancement of women in shipping. Also in 2015 The International Transport Workers’ Federation estimated that only 2% of the world’s maritime workforce
IMEC, ITF Invest $3 Mln in Ukraine Maritime Training
The International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have agreed to invest $3 million in Ukrainian marine training. The donation is being made from the Seafarers’ Employment Promotion Fund (SEPF), a unique training fund sourced from collective bargaining agreements negotiated by the two organizations. IMEC and the ITF work together as social partners to administer the SEPF. The funds will support the work of the Kherson State Maritime Academy (KSMA) and the National University ‘Odessa Maritime Academy’
ILO Minimum Wage for Seafarers to Stay at $614
The recommended International Labour Organization (ILO) Minimum Wage for Able Seafarers will remain at its current level of US$ 614 basic pay per month until at least 2018. This follows an ILO Joint Maritime Commission (JMC) meeting held in Geneva last week, comprising representatives of maritime employers co-ordinated by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and seafarers’ unions co-ordinated by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). Speaking after the ILO JMC meeting on behalf of ICS, the spokeperson for the Shipowners’ Group, Max Johns
ILO Minimum Wage for Seafarers to Stay at $614
The recommended International Labor Organization (ILO) Minimum Wage for Able Seafarers will remain at its current level of $ 614 basic pay per month until at least 2018. This follows an ILO Joint Maritime Commission (JMC) meeting held in Geneva last week, comprising representatives of maritime employers co-ordinated by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and seafarers’ unions co-ordinated by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). Speaking after the ILO JMC meeting on behalf of ICS, the spokeperson for the Shipowners’ Group, Max Johns (German Shipowners&rsq
Officer Shortage in Shipping
The international shipping industry will require an additional 42,500 officers by the end of 2019 to cope with the expected growth in the main cargo carrying fleet, according to the latest manning report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. The analysis was made according to the expected growth in the main cargo carrying fleet, which is equivalent to 7 percent over the five year period. The analysts say that the large number of officers have needed to satisfy the expected growth in shipping. Current officer supply is in the order of 615,000 and a nominal
