Contributed by Nebojsa Nikolic
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) announced that up to a thousand ships flagged to the Cook
Islands, Palau, Sierra Leone, and Togo will be targeted for safety, maintenance and seafarer welfare inspections across
the Mediterranean Sea in the coming 8 weeks by an army of inspectors from the ITF, seafarers’ unions and port authorities.
“Substandard shipping in the Mediterranean Sea is driving down seafarers’ wages and conditions, its endangering the lives
of crew and risking our environment,” said ITF Inspectorate Coordinator Steve Trowsdale. “These flags take money from
shipowners to register ships that other countries wouldn’t touch. Many are old vessels and are poorly maintained by their
owners. Many of these ships are dangerous and should not be trading,” he said. The blitz comes off the back of new analysis
showing the four flags of convenience registries together accounted for more than 100 crew abandoned in the last 2 years,
with millions of dollars wages not paid to crew by the flags’ shipowners that the ITF then had to recover on seafarers’ behalf.
Trowsdale said often when the ITF or its affiliated unions called on the flags to fix problems caused by irresponsible shipowners, such as in cases of abandonment — “that’s when these flags are nowhere to be seen — they take the money and run.”
In just 3 years, the Cook Islands, Palau, Sierra Leone, and Togo flags were responsible for:
— 33 cases of crew abandonment, affecting more than a hundred seafarers, leaving many without pay, food, water, or
a way to get home;
— over $5,500,000 USD in unpaid wages cheated from crew, that the ITF then had to recover from the flags’ shipowners
on seafarers’ behalf;
— 5,203 deficiencies or detentions issued by European Port State Control enforcement agencies.
Managing stress. ITF published factsheet on stress management for seafarers on its webpage. Stress is the body’s
reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental,
and emotional responses. When external and internal demands are greater than the resources we have to meet those
demands, we experience stress.
The earlier we recognize the signs and symptoms of stress, the better we will be able to manage it. These are some
common signs and symptoms:
— difficulty in sleeping, and insomnia;
— abnormal appetite and weight changes;
— frequent headaches;
— stomach upsets and frequent urination;
— trembling, sweating and restricted breathing;
— periods of being tearful or crying;
— increased heart/respiratory rate;
— dehydration, dizziness and fainting;
— blurred eyesight, or sore eyes;
— inability to get things done;
— isolation and increased conflict in relationships;
— substance abuse;
— problems with memory and concentration, and difficulty making decisions;
— feeling nervous, anxious, angry, irritable or easily frustrated.
Whole factsheet with key facts, and practical tips for managing stress is available at: https://www.itfseafarers.
org/en/health/managing-stress.