Need for Asian voice on seafarer code revision

Source: Business Time

ASIAN shipowners have urged Asian member countries in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to play an active role in the ongoing discussions at the world body in London to revise the Standards, Training, Certification & Watch-keeping Convention 1995.
The shipowners represented in the Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF) which met in Hong Kong recently noted that the IMO's Safety, Training & Certification would review the STCW'95 in order to consider whether the convention and code should be revised.


The shipowners at the meeting, which included the Malaysian Shipowners' Association, felt that it was imperative that the voice of the Asian countries were heard since the region is the largest supplier of seafarers to the global shipping industry.


"Members agreed that since the majority of the world's seafarers were recruited and supplied from the region, ASF Associations should contribute to the review by sharing their experiences of implementing STCW'95," ASF said in a statement issued after the meeting.


The IMO's International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) 1978 was the first internationally-agreed convention to address the issue of minimum standards of competence for seafarers.


In 1995 the STCW Convention was completely revised and updated to clarify the standards of competence required and provide effective mechanisms for enforcement of its provisions.


The shipowners' body also supported the International Labour Organisation campaign to promote the new Maritime Labour Convention.


ASF appealed to its members to provide the necessary assistance to high level tripartite missions when ILO visits their individual countries and/or regions.


The body was, however, pleased with the encouraging interest of individual governments in the region towards the implementation of the convention.


The shipowners' body encouraged governments to make full use of the IMO/ILO guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the event of a maritime accident and supports the creation of an effective mechanism to monitor any implementation of the guidelines and record any areas where revision might become necessary.


At the meeting, ASF noted that the negotiation on the employment conditions of international seafarers for the year 2008 onwards would start this May in the 3rd International Bargaining Forum.


The committee reiterated the need to harmonise the voices of Asian to achieve stable employment and smooth supply of Asian seafarers. -