ITF News Update
Seafarers officially recognised as ‘key workers’ after successful Geneva negotiations
Landmark changes to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) mean seafarers are officially recognised as ‘key workers’ by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Seafarers’ Group at the ILO led by International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) affiliates has won a raft of significant changes to seafarers’ rights in Geneva this week. Seafarers are now referenced as ‘key workers’, marking a major step forward in seafarers’ rights and coming after a week of intense negotiations between the ILO, governments, shipowners and seafarers. … Crucially, commitments on preventing and eliminating violence and harassment have been strengthened via new MLC provisions that will seek to eradicate unacceptable behaviour.
Seafarers officially recognised as ‘key workers’ after successful Geneva negotiations | ITF Global
Seafarers Win Critical Updates to ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention
Shipowners, governments, and labor unions agreed to a sweeping series of changes to the master agreement known as the Maritime Labour Convention, a global agreement that establishes minimum standards for the working and living conditions of seafarers. The updates, which are being called groundbreaking for the industry, come as the modern MLC prepares to mark its 20th anniversary after the consolidation of 37 conventions into the MLC in 2006. …The guide was developed through a collaborative effort led by the ICS, with the support of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Maritime Health Association (IMHA).
ITF Welcomes MEPC83 Agreement: Seafarers Central to Decarbonisation Efforts
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) welcomes the agreement reached at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee 83rd session (MEPC83), marking a pivotal step towards decarbonising the shipping industry. The agreement lays the groundwork for a legally binding global framework to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping, with the goal of reaching net-zero by around 2050 – and, crucially, it also acknowledges the indispensable role of seafarers in making that happen.
ITF Welcomes MEPC83 Agreement: Seafarers Central to Decarbonisation Efforts | ITF Global
IMO Approves World’s First Industry-Wide, Truly Global Carbon Fee
After 10 years of deliberation, IMO member nations have agreed to implement the first global carbon fee for shipping. It is the first UN-administered carbon revenue system of any kind. At the final day of talks for the Marine Environment Protection Committee’s 83rd meeting, delegates agreed to a set of binding targets for shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions, including intermediate objectives of a 20-30 percent greenhouse emission reduction by 2030, a 70-80 percent reduction by 2040, and net-zero by or around 2050.
IMO Approves World’s First Industry-Wide, Truly Global Carbon Fee
3 rescued and fuel spilled from fishing boat capsized in Boston Harbor
BOSTON (AP) — A commercial fishing boat hit ground and capsized, leading to the rescue of three people and a fuel spill in Boston Harbor. The 86-foot scallop fishing boat became stuck in shallow water and tilted over near Green Island with three people on board, Coast Guard officials said. The Coast Guard said it received a distress call about the accident at about 7:45 a.m. The crew on board the boat, Eileen Rita, put on immersion suits when the vessel ran aground, the Coast Guard said. None of them were injured, and Boston Police safely removed them and transferred them to land, the Coast Guard said.
3 rescued after fishing boat capsizes in Boston Harbor | AP News
DMW assures seafarers in South Korea of legal aid
The 20 Filipino crew members of a ship currently under investigation by South Korean authorities for allegedly carrying cocaine will be provided with additional legal assistance, aside from the legal team sent by the shipping company, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said yesterday. …”The 20 are still onboard the ship. They have not been detained or under the official custody of the Korean authorities. They have not been charged with anything but they have been thoroughly advised by lawyers”, said Cacdac.
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IHRB: The criminalisation of seafarers is an increasing concern
In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Francesca Fairbairn, Oceans Programme Manager, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), raises the alarm over the criminalisation of seafarers—a growing and serious issue that ranks alongside crew abandonment as one of the most pressing challenges facing seafarers today. Francesca points out that seafarers on vessels with a higher likelihood of abandonment are often those who have paid recruitment fees, highlighting a strong correlation between fee payment and crew abandonment.
IHRB: The criminalisation of seafarers is an increasing concern | seafarertimes.com
Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with cutting undersea cable
The Hongtai, flying a flag of convenience, was crewed by eight Chinese nationals and had Chinese funding, Taiwan’s coast guard said at the time. Taipei: Taiwanese prosecutors said Friday they have charged a Chinese cargo ship captain for allegedly severing an undersea telecoms cable off the island in February. The captain, surnamed Wang, and his Togolese-registered ship Hongtai have been detained in Taiwan since the incident in the strategically sensitive waterway separating Taiwan and China.
Taiwan Undersea Cable: Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with cutting undersea cable, ET Telecom
Fishing trawler welcomes first female crew members
A fishing trawler has welcomed two women onto its crew for the first time. Hannah Jenkinson and Megan Dosdale have joined the Hull-based Kirkella as deckhands after earning their sea certificates earlier this year. A male trainee, Josh Telford, has also joined the crew of 30 aboard the UK Fisheries Ltd vessel, which fishes in Canadian and Norwegian waters and the Barents Sea. The ship is one of the last survivors of the country’s distant-water fleet and specialises in cod and haddock.
Hull fishing trawler welcomes first female crew members – BBC News
Estonia detains oil tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet
Estonian authorities have detained an oil tanker which is linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” and had been sailing through Estonian waters in the Gulf of Finland on 11 April. The oil tanker was intercepted en route to Russia’s port of Ust-Luga and had previously been sanctioned by the EU as well as Canada, Switzerland, and the U.K. Estonian authorities noted that the vessel was operating without a flag state, which makes it illegal to sail in international waters.
Estonia detains oil tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet – SAFETY4SEA
Terrible timing and huge uncertainty: how ports and shipping are handling tariff turmoil
As they reel from Trump’s policies, companies say volatile freight costs and congestion are now the norm. The container ship was halfway across the Atlantic when Donald Trump, during his first term in office, levied tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the US from most countries. At the stroke of a pen on a US presidential executive order, about £100,000 was added to the cost of one of the shipments onboard, from the UK advanced materials manufacturer Goodfellow, destined for a US customer.