The Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) held its thirty second Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 16 in Shanghai with focus of a lot of the dialogue on the protection of seafarers.
The assembly was hosted by the China Shipowners’ Association (CSA) and attended by greater than 230 representatives from ASA Ordinary/Associate members.
The ASA stated that unfair remedy of seafarers has a extreme influence on seafarers’ bodily and psychological well-being and a dangerous impact on the picture of the transport trade and its means to draw and retain certified seafarers. A scarcity of STCW licensed officers has been predicted within the close to future.
Unfair remedy of seafarers usually takes place when seafarers are detained on suspicion of committing maritime crimes. An on-going instance is Captain Yu Yihai’s extended imprisonment with out trial in Honduras, which is opposite to the ideas of conducting trials as expeditiously as potential or releasing the detained individual on bail as laid down in related worldwide treaties.
The ASA has famous the joint efforts of ILO/IMO to develop devoted pointers on the truthful remedy of seafarers detained on suspicion of committing maritime crimes, and welcomes the early adoption of the rules whereas urging the Honduran administration to have Captain Yu Yihai’s case to be dealt with pretty and expeditiously in accordance with the provisions on truthful remedy of seafarers, contained in MLC 2006 and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
Additionally, the ASA expressed concern concerning the escalating variety of reported incidents of piracy and armed robberies within the Straits of Malacca and Singapore throughout the first quarter of 2023. It urged instant motion and known as upon the three littoral governments of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to accentuate their patrols.
Piracy and armed theft proceed to pose a risk to ships and seafarers in high-risk waters and ports. The navy battle between Russia and Ukraine is having a major influence on the protection and safety of some seafarers.
The ASA known as on all of the stakeholders within the transport trade to:
* work collectively to take care of the safety and stability of the worldwide transport corridors by combating piracy and armed theft and bettering the transit effectivity and repair degree of the worldwide canals;
* pay extra consideration to the event of high-quality seafarers to deal with the expected scarcity within the foreseeable future; and
* take measures to cut back the influence of worldwide conflicts on maritime transport.
The subsequent ASA AGM will likely be held in Hong Kong in May 2024.
