IMLI Celebrates 30 Years of Legal Training
Malta-based IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) informed that 2019 academic year marks its 30th anniversary.According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), a special to celebrate the occasion was held at IMO Headquarters (25 June).Malta's Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, spoke of his country's continuing commitment to hosting such an important global institution, while IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim highlighted IMLI's firm commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.IMLI's overall mission is to help build the legal capacity among IMO member states, particularly developing states, to fulfill their obligations under IMO treaties.
SIU sues CBSA Over Permits to Foreign Sailors
The Seafarers’ International Union of Canada (SIU) has launched a lawsuit challenging repeated decisions by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) to grant temporary work permits to foreign maritime workers crewing foreign ships operating in Canadian waters. Canadian law requires that ships carrying passengers or goods between Canadian ports (“cabotage”) may only use foreign workers if no qualified Canadian workers are available. “The Government of Canada has allowed foreign workers to take 2100 jobs from qualified Canadian maritime workers,” said SIU President Jim Given. “The Federal Government continues to misuse their authority to grant temporary work permits to foreign workers, while passing over Canadian sailors who are ready to work”.
Federal Courts Side with Signal International
Federal Judge Sides with Signal - Denies Class Certification of all former H2B worker claims. Signal International L.L.C., a leading Gulf of Mexico provider of marine and fabrication services headquartered in Mobile, Alabama received news of a complete victory in the case pending in the Eastern District of Louisiana with regard to class certification of claims against it alleging human trafficking, slave labor and fraud, among other claims. In denying class certification, United States District Judge Jay C. Zainey, observed with regard to the allegations made against Signal, “[t]o the contrary, this case involves paid workers who in fact could leave their jobs at any time, albeit under penalty of returning to their home countries but that restriction was dictated by U.S. immigration law.
Mass Casualty Exercise to Take Place in PA
More than 250 responders from 50 different federal, state and local agencies will test Lake Erie contingency plans in a two-day mass casualty and pollution exercise beginning Nov. 5 at the Erie Port Authority Cruise Ship Visitors Terminal. The exercise, centered around a simulated collision between a cruise ship and an ore carrier, is designed to focus on a broad range of themes including search and rescue, emergency medical care, immigration, law enforcement and environmental response. Participants will run through actual drills such as medical triage, helicopter rescue operations and deployment of pollution equipment, as if the exercise was an actual event. Exercise coordinators will monitor operational and planning methods along with logistics, finance and multi-agency coordination.
Canada May Aid Boat People Who Turn In Traffickers
Canada may offer landed immigrant status to boat people who agree to testify against the "human trafficking" rings that brought them illegally to the country's shores, according to Canada's immigration minister. The proposal is among a series of changes being considered for the country's immigration laws, which came under fire this summer when a series of smuggling boats packed with migrants from China arrived on Canada's Pacific Coast. Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan floated the proposal in an address to immigration lawyers, and said it might help boat people overcome their fear of turning in traffickers, whom she likened to slave traders. "I want to consider strengthening our case against organized criminals by empowering their victims," Caplan said.
