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Asian shipowners have urged Asian
member countries in the International Maritime
Organisation to play an active role in the
on-going discussions at the world body in London
to revise the Standards, Training, Certification
& Watch-keeping Convention 1995.
The shipowners represented in the Asian
Shipowners Forum which met in Hong Kong recently
noted that the IMO’s Safety, Training &
Certification would review the STCW’95 in order
to consider whether the convention and code
should be revised.
The shipowners at the meeting, which included
the Malaysian Shipowners’ Association, felt it
was imperative that voice of the Asian countries
were heard since the region is the largest
supplier of seafarers to the global shipping
industry
“Members agreed that, since the majority of the
world’s seafarers were recruited and supplied
from the region, ASF Associations should
contribute to the review by sharing their
experiences of implementing STCW’95,” ASF said
in a statement issued after the meeting.
The IMO's International Convention on Standards
of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for
Seafarers (STCW), 1978 was the first
internationally-agreed Convention to address the
issue of minimum standards of competence for
seafarers. In 1995 the STCW Convention was
completely revised and updated to clarify the
standards of competence required and provide
effective mechanisms for enforcement of its
provisions.
The shipowners body also supported the
International Labour Organisation campaign to
promote the new Maritime Labour Convention.
ASF appealed to its members to provide the
necessary assistance to high level tripartite
missions when ILO visits their individual
countries and/or regions.
The body was however pleased with the
encouraging interest of individual governments
in the region towards the implementation of the
Convention.
The shipowners’ body encouraged governments to
make full use of the IMO/ILO guidelines on the
Fair Treatment of Seafarers in the event of a
Maritime Accident and supports the creation of
an effective mechanism to monitor any
implementation of the Guidelines and record any
areas where revision might become necessary.
At the meeting ASF noted that the negotiation on
the employment conditions of international
seafarers for the year of 2008 onward would
start this May in the 3rd International
Bargaining Forum.
The Committee reiterated the necessity to
harmonize the voices of Asian to achieve stable
employment and smooth supply of Asian seafarers. |
