IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim radiated a limelight on the legal rights of seafarers as well as the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment as well as retention when talking at the La Rochelle Maritime Symposium on ‘Employment and skills challenges in the European maritime transport and services sector’, hung on 09 February, 2022.
“We must not relent in our efforts to facilitate international travel for crew change purposes, including getting vaccinations and boosters as well as access to medical facilities when needed. If we do not assure the rights and well-being of seafarers, we will not be able to retain the existing seafarers in the profession and certainly not be in a position to attract any new additions to the industry,” he informed audiences.
His speech additionally discussed the yearly International Day for Women in Maritime, in addition to this year’s IMO World Maritime Theme of “New technologies for greener shipping”.
The entire speech: La Rochelle Maritime Symposium– Employment as well as abilities difficulties in the European maritime transportation as well as solutions industry
Opening statements by Kitack Lim, IMO Secretary-General
Minister, Excellencies, women as well as gents,
It is an enjoyment to resolve this vital as well as prompt seminar.
Maritime transportation is one of the most financial as well as ecologically lasting setting of transport of big quantities of freight. As the sector checks out means to remain to do this much more effectively as well as sustainably, we need to guarantee that we maintain the human component– the crucial element in this vital supply chain at the heart of all that we do.
At this essential time in background the maritime sector is adding to the initiatives of the whole globe to dramatically lower our ecological influence by minimizing greenhouse gas exhausts. At the very same time in a quote to enhance performance as well as sustainability, the sector has actually welcomed digitalization as well as automation. All these initiatives indicate the sector is going through facility as well as considerable modification.
This modification has substantial consequences for the maritime labor force. The maritime labor force requires to be in advance of the development. It is essential that education and learning, training as well as abilities advance with the sector. The IMO remains to involve with Member States as well as sector in the direction of that end.
Prior to the COVID 19 pandemic initiatives were underway at IMO as well as within sector to draw in ability right into the sector. However, the pandemic as well as its influence on seafarers has actually indicated that the job to draw in brand-new ability is made harder.
This target market is cognizant that in spite of the recurring pandemic as well as the challenging situations, the international maritime transportation industry has actually remained to provide crucial items.
Unfortunately, the cost for the ongoing solution was mostly paid by seafarers that, in a substantial variety of instances, remain to have troubles in being repatriated to join their households after occasionally incredibly long period of time mixed-up or otherwise having the ability to sign up with ships with the resulting loss of revenue.
IMO remains to function relentlessly to handle the difficulties using its multi‑pronged strategy, consisting of plan advancement, collaborating with UN companies as well as sector collaborations.
Although there have actually been substantial enhancements, some troubles linger. The advancing circumstance with the Omicron as well as various other versions has actually revealed that we require to remain to work together to attend to staff modification problems as well as guarantee seafarers’ health and wellness as well as wellness.
We need to not yield in our initiatives to promote global traveling for staff modification objectives, consisting of obtaining inoculations as well as boosters in addition to accessibility to clinical centers when required. If we do not ensure the legal rights as well as health of seafarers, we will certainly not have the ability to keep the existing seafarers in the career as well as absolutely not remain in a setting to draw in any kind of brand-new enhancements to the sector.
Ladies as well as gents,
Seafarers absolutely go to the core of delivery. Without them– delivery merely does not operate. However, it is necessary to bear in mind that work in the maritime transportation industry extends lots of jobs along with the seafarers that service board ships.
There are lots of as well as varied maritime field of expertises as well as abilities that sustain the sector as well as the international supply chain varying from regulation, business economics, design, piloting, management as well as past. The tests to work as well as abilities in the European maritime transportation as well as solutions industry are shared worldwide.
Together we can function to get over the difficulties consisting of supporting the lots of admirable careers in the sector in addition to the benefits of the transferability of maritime training as well as abilities to work ashore as well as in various other sectors to draw in even more rate of interest in maritime training.
To guarantee the human component is totally incorporated in our job as well as offered the relevance it is entitled to, the IMO Assembly, in December 2021, changed the Organization’s Strategic Plan to currently consist of the Human Element as a trick Strategic Direction, supplying a structure for improved involvement. I advise all stakeholders to join us in guaranteeing that individuals operating in our sector continue to be at the centre of whatever we do.
We all understand that training seafarers is critical which their abilities require to be consistently upgraded to adjust to advancing patterns.
IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee will certainly be taking into consideration a proposition to thoroughly evaluate the convention on Standards for training as well as accreditation of seafarers.
The testimonial will certainly supply a possibility to take into consideration the demands as delivery changes to come to be extra lasting, with the intro of brand-new gas to fulfill discharge targets as well as raising use brand-new innovations.
The maritime experts need to be educated to the high degree of abilities required for this shift. Addressing work as well as abilities spaces calls for collective as well as joint initiatives. The maritime specialist of the future will certainly require brand-new as well as various abilities than in the past.
We need to increase to the difficulty as well as develop that labor force that will certainly run the eco-friendly ships of the future securely, as well as safely. I make certain that with each other, we can do it.
The absence of variety in the delivery industry is one more issue that needs to be resolved with concern. While there declare indications of renovation, the fact is that ladies still comprise a really little percentage of all seafarers.
We all require to dig even more right into the reasons that this is so as well as look for options. IMO has actually been functioning to boost the variety of ladies joining the sector with our flag-ship ladies in maritime program.
IMO has actually additionally lately assigned the 18th of May as the yearly International Day for Women in Maritime.
The inaugural day in May of this year will certainly start IMO’s press to advertise the employment, retention as well as continual work of ladies in the maritime industry; elevate the account of ladies in maritime; enhance IMO’s dedication to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5– sex equal rights– as well as sustain job to attend to the present sex discrepancy in maritime sector.
I welcome all stakeholders to sustain now with suitable tasks as well as occasions, managing it the attention it is entitled to in order to militarize favorable activity hereof.
Ladies as well as gents,
This year’s World Maritime Theme is “New technologies for greener shipping”, highlighting IMO’s dedication to sustain the shift of the maritime industry to a lasting eco-friendly future with technical development.
“New technologies for greener shipping” opens a larger discussion concerning the instructions of delivery’s future as well as exactly how innovations can be taken advantage of for an extra lasting delivery, as we function to construct back far better as well as greener in a post-pandemic globe.
The payment as well as relevance of individuals at the centre of delivery can not be overlooked as well as will certainly be crucial for the international healing as well as revival as we aim to the future.
Let’s all interact for a far better future of all maritime workers as well as for the sector.
Thank you.
Reference: IMO
