ITF To Board FoC Vessels

Flag of convenience (FoC) vessels in European ports will be targeted by transport unions in a week of action from Monday September 27, the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said. ITF inspectors will board flag of convenience vessels and boycotts and demonstrations will be held by dock and seafarer unions across two dozen countries, ITF said in a statement. A similar action two years ago resulted in nearly 600 ships being inspected and the recovery of more than $1.5 million in owed pay for seafarers, the ITF said. The flag campaign was aimed at establishing genuine links between owners and their ships in order to enforce international safety and employment standards, the ITF said.