Source: Lloyds List
Seafarer sacrifices
By Richard Meade
AS THE shipping industry packs its collective bags and heads home for Christmas, it is worth reminding ourselves of the seafarers who cannot.
More than 250 seafarers are being held hostage following pirate attacks this year. Many have been held captive for several months in dire conditions with no contact with the outside world.
Their plight has slipped from the headlines, but for their families and those trying to secure their release behind the scenes, it is a daily struggle that will not be forgotten.
Sadly, they are not alone in their concern for loved ones. This year has seen a worrying increase in reported cases of crew abandonment as owners go out of business and ships are taken out of service.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation says at least 370 seafarers have faced abandonment this year, although the number is difficult to quantify and 370 could be a conservative estimate.
The year ahead has been designated the year of the seafarer by the International Maritime Organization to pay tribute to the unique contribution seafarers make to society and to recognise the extreme risks they shoulder in the execution of their duties in an often hostile environment.
The dedication is a welcome reminder of the unique hazards confronting the 1.5m seafarers of the world, but it should also be an opportunity to spur action. The shipping industry has a moral and legal duty to protect its employees, who must not be forgotten or taken for granted.
Seafarer sacrifices
By Richard Meade
AS THE shipping industry packs its collective bags and heads home for Christmas, it is worth reminding ourselves of the seafarers who cannot.
More than 250 seafarers are being held hostage following pirate attacks this year. Many have been held captive for several months in dire conditions with no contact with the outside world.
Their plight has slipped from the headlines, but for their families and those trying to secure their release behind the scenes, it is a daily struggle that will not be forgotten.
Sadly, they are not alone in their concern for loved ones. This year has seen a worrying increase in reported cases of crew abandonment as owners go out of business and ships are taken out of service.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation says at least 370 seafarers have faced abandonment this year, although the number is difficult to quantify and 370 could be a conservative estimate.
The year ahead has been designated the year of the seafarer by the International Maritime Organization to pay tribute to the unique contribution seafarers make to society and to recognise the extreme risks they shoulder in the execution of their duties in an often hostile environment.
The dedication is a welcome reminder of the unique hazards confronting the 1.5m seafarers of the world, but it should also be an opportunity to spur action. The shipping industry has a moral and legal duty to protect its employees, who must not be forgotten or taken for granted.
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