ITF News Update
ITF expands seafarer wellbeing training to Black Sea countries
ITF runs ‘training of trainers’ in Romania for ten maritime universities from seven countries. Trainers from across seven countries located on or near the Black Sea are now ready to prepare students for the wellbeing challenges of a maritime career – thanks to training led by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
ITF expands seafarer wellbeing training to Black Sea countries | ITF Global
3 killed after tugboat, pleasure boat collide in western Japan
Three people died when a pleasure boat and a tugboat collided in the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan on Sunday morning, the coast guard said. The captain of the tugboat made an emergency call around 5:45 a.m., the local fire department said, adding of the four people recovered from the pleasure boat, two men and a woman had died, and the remaining person had suffered minor injuries.
3 killed after tugboat, pleasure boat collide in western Japan – Japan Today
Shipping industry renews call for the Houthis to free crew of the Galaxy Leader car carrier
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the seizure of the crew of the Galaxy Leader car carrier by Yemeni insurgents. Ahead of this Guy Platten, secretary-general of the International Chamber of Shipping, speaking in Hong Kong, has stated: “It seems incredible that a year has passed, and the crew of the Galaxy Leader are still being held hostage. Innocent seafarers and families who have had their lives irrevocably changed by geopolitical forces wholly out of their control.”
Stranded barge crew ‘thrown under the bus’ by company’s PR exercise, union says
The crew of a stranded barge have been “thrown under the bus” by a mining company that put them in dangerous conditions they were inexperienced for, the Maritime Union says. Mineral mining company WMS Group on Friday released the findings of an independent expert it hired to investigate the stranding of the Manahau, which hit sandy ground during strong winds at Carters Beach near Westport on August 31.
Stranded barge crew ‘thrown under the bus’ by company’s PR exercise, union says | The Press
Warlike Operations Area established in eastern Mediterranean
The UK Warlike Operations Area Committee (WOAC) has established recommendations for ships in the eastern Mediterranean, due to the ongoing conflict in the Levant. The recommendations apply to vessels transiting the following areas: Israel, including all coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles offshore and all port facilities/terminals within areas controlled by the relevant port authorities: Lebanon, including all coastal waters up to 12 nautical miles offshore and all port facilities/terminals within areas controlled by the relevant port authorities.
Warlike Operations Area established in eastern Mediterranean
The Complexities of a Global Network for Seafarer Medical Exams Post-COVID
The maritime industry operates on a unique foundation where crew health and well-being are critical for safe and effective operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the requirements for health and safety at sea, leading to new challenges in ensuring that seafarers undergo thorough and consistent preemployment medical exams (PEME) and reemployment medical exams (REME) before embarking on their work deployments.
The Complexities of a Global Network for Seafarer Medical Exams Post-COVID
Filipino seafarers sailing at the heart of geopolitical conflict
According to the Daily Tribune, as of this week, a total of 4,687 Filipino seafarers continue to operate in high-risk maritime zones, including areas plagued by piracy and armed conflict. This troubling figure was shared by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) at the CREW Connect Global seafaring conference on Tuesday. Of these, 740 Filipino seafarers have been victims of attacks while navigating the volatile waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, regions heavily impacted by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.
Filipino seafarers sailing at the heart of geopolitical conflict – SAFETY4SEA
Safe, clean washrooms are a fundamental human right
On November 19 – World Toilet Day – Unifor stands in solidarity with the global movement of ensuring that employers and governments provide everyone with access to safe and inclusive washroom facilities, particularly women and 2SLGBTQI+ members. … Unifor also continues to support the annual International Transport Workers’ Federation Safe Rates campaign, which aims to improve the lives of road transport workers by addressing issues like access to bathroom facilities.
Safe, clean washrooms are a fundamental human right | Unifor
One year after the Galaxy Leader hijack, it’s time to free the crew
Houthis should mark first anniversary of vessel’s capture by releasing 25 seafarer hostages. Future of car carrier and those on board need not rest on settlement to Gaza war. HODEIDAH has some way to go before its reputation as a desirable holiday destination matches that of Dubai. But the town does boast a bizarre new tourist attraction. Car carrier Galaxy Leader (IMO:923707 – hijacked) by Yemen’s Houthi insurgents exactly a year ago next Tuesday — has been alongside at the port for almost a year and is currently available for the perusal of curious sightseers. FREE TO READ
One year after the Galaxy Leader hijack, it’s time to free the crew :: Lloyd’s List
Search still on to find ‘true owners’ of Solo Creed
“Let it be known as a fact that the people who were involved set about to hide their identity and acted illegally, so it’s not an easy trace (of the owner/s). But the Government is on the job and if they are to be found, we’ll find them, the Prime Minister said in Parliament yesterday. The Solo Creed had been towing the Gulfstream barge which capsized off Tobago in February, causing a huge oil spill off the island’s southern coast.
Search still on to find ‘true owners’ of Solo Creed – Trinidad Guardian
Cameroon Launches Online Ship Registration to Tackle Maritime Misuse
(Business in Cameroon) – Cameroon has announced a new digital system for registering ships and issuing its national flag. This process, set to start on December 2, was introduced by the Minister of Transport, Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe. Shipowners will now need to submit 17 required documents through an online platform to complete the registration process.
Cameroon Launches Online Ship Registration to Tackle Maritime Misuse – Business in Cameroon
Maritime safety: Council adopts new laws to support safe, clean and modern shipping in the EU
To support clean, safer, and modern shipping in the EU, today the Council adopted four new pieces of legislation of the so-called ‘maritime safety’ legislative package, namely those amending the relevant directives on: – the investigation of accidents in the maritime transport sector – ship-source pollution – compliance with flag state requirements, and – port state control.
Seafarer health in focus: Industry Experts’ insights
The pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to prioritize seafarer health, both physical and mental. During a panel discussion at the 2024 Crew Welfare Week, experts addressed the growing awareness and efforts by companies to tackle these challenges, while emphasizing that sustained action is required to fully resolve the ongoing health concerns within the seafaring community.
Seafarer health in focus: Industry Experts’ insights
Vanuatu’s first international maritime graduate wants more women in the industry
A Tongan woman and Vanuatuan citizen hopes to advocate for more women and girls in Vanuatu to enter the maritime industry. Seiloni Akanete Toakuru graduated from the World Maritime University in Sweden last week, alongside more than 260 others from more than 70 member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Vanuatu’s first international maritime graduate wants more women in the industry | RNZ News
Women in the maritime sector create WISTA Costa Rica to promote gender parity in leadership positions
San José, November 2024. With the objectives of strengthening the positioning of women in leadership and management positions in the port, maritime, logistics and transportation sector, as well as leaving aside the stereotypes that surround the female gender in the sector, nationally and internationally, a group of women joined together and managed to form WISTA Costa Rica.
A year of Houthi terror in numbers
Lloyd’s List data tells the story of one of shipping’s most dangerous years. One year on since the Iran-backed rebel group hijacked car carrier Galaxy Leader and took its crew hostage, there have been more than 300 reported attacks in shipping in the Red Sea. FREE TO READ
A year of Houthi terror in numbers :: Lloyd’s List
World Fisheries Day 2024: Protect fishers from human trafficking
The ITF will join representatives from civil society, academia and the UN at a Geneva event at the Palais des Nations. Trade unions, the International Labour Organization (ILO), civil society advocates, policymakers, and labour rights experts will come together for World Fisheries Day to discuss and address critical needs within the fishing industry – with a focus on safeguarding fishers against human trafficking and improving working conditions and fishers’ wellbeing worldwide.
World Fisheries Day 2024: Protect fishers from human trafficking | ITF Global
New ministry cares for ‘invisible’ seafarers
“For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another” (Rom 12:4-5). Some body parts are easily visible, yet others are hidden. If they are out of sight, they are out of mind.
New ministry cares for ‘invisible’ seafarers
Maritime Union joins opposition to live export shipments
The union for port workers is joining opposition to the government’s plans for resuming live animal exports. The trade was banned last year over welfare concerns and the 2020 sinking near Japan, of Gulf Livestock 1 that had sailed from Napier on its way to China. Forty-one men and nearly 6000 live cattle died.
Maritime Union joins opposition to live export shipments | RNZ News
How will shipping giant’s move affect major port?
As a major container shipping company announces its larger vessels will stop using the Port of Felixstowe, what impact will that have? Maersk said the changes would take effect in February following a review of its Asia-Europe shipping routes. The firm said it had concluded the London Gateway on the Thames estuary in Essex was “the most optimal port to serve our customers” in the UK.
How will shipping giant Maersk’s move affect Port of Felixstowe? – BBC News