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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Itf News

07 Mar 2024

Ship Evacuated After First Civilian Fatalities in Houthis' Red Sea Attacks

(Photo: U.S. Central Command)

India's navy evacuated all 20 crew from a stricken vessel in the Red Sea on Thursday, after a Houthi attack killed three seafarers in the first civilian fatalities from the Yemeni group's campaign against the key shipping route.The Iran-aligned militants fired a missile at the Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated True Confidence on Wednesday about 50 nautical miles off the southern Yemeni port of Aden, setting it ablaze.In a statement, the owners and manager said all 20 crew and three


06 Mar 2024

Three Killed in Houthi Attack On Greek-owned Ship

(Photo: U.S. Central Command)

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on a Red Sea merchant ship on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said, the first fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned Yemeni group began strikes against shipping in one of the world's busiest trade lanes.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack, which set the Greek-owned, Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze around 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen's port of Aden.In an earlier message on X responding to the Houthi claim, Britain's embassy wrote: "At least 2 innocent sailors have died.

28 Feb 2024

Saudi Arabian Company Abandons Crew Across Multiple Vessels

(Photo: International Transport Workers’ Federation)

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said it has received many reports about withheld pay from individual seafarers working on eight Bahrain-registered vessels owned by Saudi Arabian company Hadi H Al Hamman Establishment. The company, which lists Saudi Aramco among its customers and was buying brand new ships as recently as 2018, has not paid seafarers for more than five months in some cases, the ITF said. One seafarer reported dangerously low levels of food


20 Feb 2024

Greek Ship Attacked in Red Sea by Houthis Arrives in Aden

© Faraways / Adobe Stock

The Greek-flagged bulk cargo vessel Sea Champion arrived in the southern Yemeni port of Aden on Tuesday after being attacked in the Red Sea in what appeared to have been a mistaken missile strike by Houthi militia, shipping and military sources said.Shipping risks are escalating due to repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait by the Iran-aligned Houthis since November. U.S. and British forces have responded with several strikes on Houthi facilities but have so far failed to halt the attacks.The Sea Champion


19 Feb 2024

Seafarers Can Refuse to Sail Through Red Sea as Houthis Step Up Attacks

© Alexey Seafarer / Adobe Stock

Seafarers have the right to refuse to sail on ships passing through the Red Sea in a new industry agreement as the situation escalates and further vessels are attacked by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, a labor union and industry groups said on Friday.The Houthis have targeted commercial ships with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.Seafarers remain in the firing line


18 Feb 2024

Shipping Industry Calls for Release of Galaxy Leader Crew

(Photo: Screenshot from video shared by Yemeni Armed Forces)

The international maritime industry, led by the International Chamber of Shipping, has joined together to express their concern for the seafarers from the Galaxy Leader who have been held hostage and call on the Houthis to release them.Monday February 19, 2024 marks the three-month anniversary since the Houthis seized the Galaxy Leader and its 25 seafarers in the Red Sea.The roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier was seized on November 19.“The 25 seafarers who make up the crew of the Galaxy Leader are innocent victims of the ongoing aggression against world shipping


25 Jan 2024

Seafarer Abandonment Is on the Rise

© VeNN / Adobe Stock

Seafarer abandonment is on the rise, according to latest figures from the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF).In 2023, a total of 132 vessel abandonments were reported, which is 13 more than in 2022 – an increase of 10.92%. IFT said it made 129 of those reports.Under the Maritime Lamour Convention 2006 (MLC), a seafarer is deemed to have been abandoned if the shipowner fails to cover the cost of repatriation; or has left them without the necessary maintenance and support


30 Nov 2023

Maritime Just Transition Task Force Plans Seafarer Skills Update

‘Dream bigger’ by Kendall Bernardo - Part of the ‘Still at Sea’ photographic archive - Credit: ITF Seafarers Trust

A new training project will prepare seafarers for zero or near-zero emission ships, helping the global shipping industry decarbonize and ensure a just transition for seafarers.Research commissioned by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force identified that 800,000 seafarers may require additional training by the mid-2030s to operate vessels run on zero or near zero emission fuels.The training framework, funded through the IMO and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, will equip seafarers with skills in decarbonization


29 Nov 2023

SAR Officer Caleb Halle Receives 2023 IMO Bravery Award

Caleb Halle courtesy of the IMO.

The 2023 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea has been presented to Caleb Halle, Aviation Survival Technician Second Class (AST2) of the United States Coast Guard (USCG). He was recognized for the outstanding courage, endurance and determination he showed during the rescue of the seven-strong crew of the tugboat Legacy in January 2023.AST2 Halle, based at the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, received the award at the annual IMO Awards Ceremony in London. The ceremony


30 Oct 2023

World Maritime University Graduates Class of '23

Photo credit: World Maritime University

On 28 October, the maritime leaders of tomorrow - World Maritime University (WMU) class of 2023 - graduated. The WMU 2023 graduating class includes 283 graduates from 71 countries, including a record of 99 women graduates.WMU President, Professor Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., delivered welcome remarks. As a WMU graduate himself, President Mejia reflected on the power of the WMU experience and how it affects the way one thinks, works, plans, and interacts. “You have acquired information that you did not possess before you enrolled here," he said.

26 Sep 2023

250,000 Seafarers Have Pay Boosted by 6%

Seafarers courtesy of ITF

Seafarers’ unions and maritime employers have signed a four-year agreement that will see significant wage increases and dozens of workplace protections and improvements for over 250,000 seafarers’ serving on more than 10,000 vessels.The International Bargaining Forum (IBF), the forum that negotiates the world’s largest global collective bargaining agreement, agreed terms for the 2024-2027 IBF Framework Agreement last week in Berlin.Seafarers covered by the agreement will receive a 6% wage increase over the next two years (4% wage and compensations increase from January 1


24 Aug 2023

AMSA Bans Liberian-Flagged Vessel Over Wage Theft

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier MSXT Emily from Australian waters for one year, after finding apparent serious issues of wage theft and seafarer mistreatment onboard.Following a tip-off from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), AMSA inspected the ship at the Port of Hay Point, in Queensland, and found evidence of several violations of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.The vessel had been chartered by K-Line to load a cargo of coal for discharge in Japan.Seafarers onboard the vessel had not been paid in accordance with their Seafarer Employment Agreements: four contained apparently-forged signatures from employees


02 Aug 2023

Izmail Seafarers’ Centre in Odesa Hit in Drone Attack

Images courtesy of ITF Seafarers Trust

The ITF Seafarers Trust has reported that the Izmail Seafarers' Centre was hit by a Russian drone attack in the early hours of August 2.The centre, previously funded by the ITF Seafarers Trust, has been housing families made homeless by bombing in other parts of the Odesa, Ukraine. Despite the significant damage done to the building, there were no casualties as resident families and staff working at the 24-hour facility had already taken shelter in the basement.Oleg Grigoryuk


26 Jun 2023

Maritime Transport in 2040: How FutureTechnologies Will Impact Seafarers

On 26 June, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the World Maritime University (WMU) launched a flagship report entitled, Transport 2040 - Impact of Technology on Seafarers - The Future of Work, during the International Chamber of Shipping’s Shaping the Future of Shipping event in Manila, Philippines. The research results provide an in-depth exploration of a number of maritime issues related to future ship technologies, including automation, and seeks to qualify


09 Jun 2023

Jobs at Stake as California Port Terminal Upgrades to Green Technology

© 2ragon / Adobe Stock

Unions hope a $30 million grant to electrify tractors in a Long Beach, California, port terminal's final push to become the world's first zero-emissions facility will serve as a bulwark against lost jobs in an era of energy transition and increasing automation. The money from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration for Long Beach Container Terminal's purchase of 60 electric yard tractors that haul shipping containers from stacks to waiting trains comes with strings attached


16 May 2023

Asian Seafarer Hubs Push Forward with New Technology Training

© canaran / Adobe Stock

The seafarer home nations of the Philippines and Indonesia are working to equip their maritime workers with the skill sets needed to deliver a low and zero-carbon maritime sector.Speaking at the ‘Seizing opportunities for green shipping in Asia and the Pacific’ conference organized by the Philippines' Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), on May 15, Philippine Transmarine Carriers CEO Gerardo A. Borromeo said: “There is no doubt that the skill set for a career at sea is evolving.

18 Apr 2023

Survey: 28% of Seafarers Were Charged Illegal Recruitment Fees

© Denys Yelmanov / Adobe Stock

New research has found that of almost 5,000 seafarers surveyed, almost 40% have experienced at least one form of unethical or illegal action in violation of international standards relating to worker rights either during the recruitment process or while working at sea.The research report was published by the Institute for Human Rights and Business and Sustainable Shipping Initiative and is based on surveyed data obtained between September 2022 and February 2023.The findings include that 70% (around 1


18 Apr 2023

Abandoned Seafarers Repatriated After Five Months on Livestock Carrier

The Yangtze Harmony's crew at Singapore Changi Airport. Source: ITF

Thirteen Filipino seafarers, the last of 43 abandoned on two livestock carriers, have made it home after more than five months onboard the Yangtze Harmony.The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) intervened after the ship’s owners abandoned the vessel and its crew in October 2022. At that time, the Singapore Sheriff court seized the Yangtze Harmony on behalf of Glander International Bunkering over an unpaid fuel bill. That began a legal process to sell the ship and pay off its debts


10 Apr 2023

ICS Publishes New Medical Guide for Ships

The International Medical Guide for Seafarers and Fishers, is priced at ÂŁ225 and is available in print and digital ebook. More information can
be found on the ICS Publications website: https://publications.ics-shipping.org. Image courtesy ICS

Given the remote nature of shipping, seafarers know that their life may sometimes depend on at-hand practical information readily available during the first crucial moments after an on board medical emergency arises. Medical guidance covering illness, injuries and other health issues needs to be readily available as a vital aid to saving lives, in fact, international regulations call for a medical guide to be carried on commercial ships that do not have a doctor on board, which


16 Jan 2023

Advisory Committee to Address Issues Impacting Filipino Seafarers

Global leaders from organizations representing seafarers, shipowners and other maritime employers signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines’s Department of Migrant Workers on Wednesday 11 January, to form the International Advisory Committee on Global Maritime Affairs (IACGMA).The IACGMA is composed of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC), and the


16 Nov 2022

Australia Bans Bulk Carrier Over Unpaid Wages

A Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier has been detained and is temporarily prohibited from entering Australian ports after it was discovered the crew onboard was being underpaid.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it banned the Costanza for three months after it found evidence that crew were owed about AUD$108,000 in wages, and that the majority of the crew seafarer employment agreements had a salary amount less than the collective agreement for the vessel.AMSA made the discoveries during a routine port state control (PSC) inspection November 9, during which it investigated a complaint from the International Transport Federation


26 Sep 2022

International Group of P&I Clubs Publishes Sustainability Report

Nick Shaw, Chief Executive Officer of the IGP&I, speaking at the International Group Correspondents Conference 2022 currently being held at the QEII Centre in London. (Photo: IGP&I)

The International Group of Protection and Indemnity Clubs (IGP&I) has set out its Sustainability report and updated Correspondents Guidelines to the global network of Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Correspondents listed by its constituent Clubs during its 2022 Correspondents Conference in London, United Kingdom. Both frameworks seek to leverage the collective strength of the IGP&I’s 13-member Clubs and the 65,000 ship owners they represent to further enhance sustainability, safety and best practice across the marine industry.As a forum for its member clubs


07 Sep 2022

Ukraine Sailor Permits Crucial for Grain Exports, Global Shipping

© soleg / Adobe Stock

Ukraine's decision to allow its seafarers to leave the country despite wartime restrictions will free up vital manpower for both Ukrainian grain exports and the wider global shipping industry, industry figures told Reuters.The move, officially confirmed this week, is part of efforts by Ukraine to maximize its grain shipments via a UN-brokered corridor through the Black Sea, which lifted a Russian blockade of Ukraine's south coast when came into effect in early August."We understand