David Cockroft News

ITF applaud release of Mohamed Chamchati, general secretary of the Moroccan merchant seafarers’ union. Like his colleague Said Elhairech, who was freed in October, Chamchati had been arrested in June on clearly mistaken charges linked to the cessation of operations of the Comarit-Comanav company. Welcoming the release ITF general secretary David Cockroft stated: “We are gratified to see that the judicial authorities have finally come to their senses and realised that planning trade union action in defence of members’ jobs is no threat to the security of Morocco. We were very pleased that Said Elhairech was released just after our maritime meetings in Casablanca and was able to join our executive in Copenhagen…

Mohamed Chamchati, general secretary of the Moroccan merchant seafarers’ union, has been released after June 2012 detention. Like his colleague Said Elhairech, who was freed in October, Chamchati had been arrested in June on clearly mistaken charges linked to the cessation of operations of the Comarit-Comanav company. Yesterday he and others were released without charge. Welcoming the release ITF general secretary David Cockroft stated: “We are gratified to see that the judicial authorities have finally come to their senses and realised that planning trade union action in defence of members’ jobs is no threat to the security of Morocco.

David Cockroft general secretary of the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation) since 1993 reaches retirement age. The announcement was made at the meeting of the ITF executive board in Copenhagen, Denmark, which also agreed to appoint Stephen Cotton, who is currently ITF maritime coordinator, as acting general secretary. David Cockroft explained: “Next year I will have been the chief executive officer of this remarkable global union federation for 20 years. “I am very happy that the board has decided to appoint Stephen Cotton to this position. ITF president Paddy Crumlin added: "The unanimous decision of the executive board today reflects the mature leadership of David Cockroft and of the ITF.

Disruption due to Belgian port closures. Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) has advised that a nationwide strike in Belgium on 30 January 2012 will close all ports in the country, with knock-on effects likely during the whole week. ISS anticipates that dockers, pilots, tugboats and locks operator will be involved, and that roadblocks with strike pickets will occupy all access roads to the ports. The company has been unofficially informed that terminals will close from 06:00hrs on 30/01/2012 to 06:00hrs on 31/01/2012. Patrick Van Huffelen, General Manager, ISS Port Services, said: “We advise shipowners and operators not to attempt to deliver any cargoes to Belgian ports on Monday, and we are warning that further disruption to schedules may continue into the week.

The piracy issue, reducing shipboard emissions, and tackling the worsening crisis of crew competency and complacency onboard today’s ships will be just some of the hard hitting subjects covered at the ICS/ISF International Shipping Conference to be held at IET London, 2 Savoy Place, London from September 14th to 15th. Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, the newly-appointed Operation Commander at EUNAVFOR, will be a guest speaker at the conference and will give his views on tackling the scourge of piracy from a military perspective. He will be joined on the first day’s piracy session by Stephen Askins, Partner at Ince & Co, who will discuss the intricate and often tricky issue of ransom negotiations. Reducing shipboard emissions is one of the shipping industry’s hot topics.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)  has offered help to all those affected by the Japanese earthquake. ITF general secretary David Cockroft wrote to Japanese trade unions when the quake and tsunamis struck, offering help and condolences. He continued: “The people of Japan are well prepared for these events but the sheer size of this one could have overwhelmed all preparations. Thankfully there has been great bravery shown in saving lives, and maybe we can allow ourselves to feel some pride that transport workers have figured widely in reports of passengers being safely evacuated from trains, and cared for at the affected airports. The news of our members in the seaports is likely to be grimmer.

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos welcomed the launch of the Seafarers’ Rights International Centre, an independent forum dedicated to advancing seafarers’ interests, describing it as an important development on World Maritime Day, the theme of which is “2010: Year of the Seafarer”. The new Centre will be located at the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)’s London offices, with initial funding coming from the ITF’s Seafarers’ Trust. An international Advisory Board, currently 10-strong, has already been established and the Centre’s stakeholders will include seafarers, lawyers and other advisers, non-governmental organizations…

The fourth "Parallel Event" to celebrate World Maritime Day formally and officially outside of the International Maritime Organization's London base was held in Greece on 19 and 20 September, hosted by the Government of the Hellenic Republic. On 19 September, Athens was the location for a seminar and panel discussion on the theme of IMO: 60 years in the service of shipping, in which leading figures from the maritime community took the opportunity to outline, from their perspective, their views on the past, present and future of IMO and the shipping industry. On 20 September, the International Memorial to the Wife of the Seafarer was unveiled in the town of Galaxidi, by the Secretary-General of IMO, Mr. Efthimios E.

Offshore Mariners United, (OMU), a federation of five U.S. maritime unions organizing workers in the Gulf of Mexico oil patch offshore service industry, will hold a rally in front of the Ernest N. Memorial Convention Center in New Orleans at 12 p.m. today to coincide with the International WorkBoat Show. The event is to protest the denial of worker's right to organize by the boat companies doing business in the Gulf of Mexico. Union leaders from around the world, including David Cockroft of the International Transport Workers Federation, Michael Sacco, president of the Seafarers International Union and Rene Lioeanjie, president of the National Maritime Union and the head of maritime unions in Australia, Norway and Great Britain are expected to address the rally.

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) has launched a campaign to bring down the Liberian shipping flag, which it accuses of bank-rolling a savage conflict in Sierra Leone. At least one ship owner has already been shaken by the allegations surrounding the flag and says it is looking at alternatives. Liberia receives tens of millions of dollars each year from respectable ship operators such as Royal Caribbean International and Germany's Hamburg Sud, seeking a favorable commercial environment for shipping in return for cash. Royal Caribbean said it was taking the issue seriously. "We've been in discussions with the (U.S.) State Department and we're considering other alternatives," Royal Caribbean's Lynn Martenstein said.