Preventing seafarers from becoming the victims of commercial disputes: IMO

Concerned about the welfare of four of its employees being repatriated by ship to their home in South Asia, a private maritime security company emailed IMO’s Seafarer Crisis Action Team (SCAT) and a broad cross-section of State, IGO and NGO stakeholders on 1 March 2021

The email requested support to overcome the operational challenges the company faced

 The email sought to draw attention to the plight of the four men and requested support to overcome the operational challenges the company faced.

Although the ship had berthed in a port within their seafarer State, a financial dispute with a local agent had reached the point whereby it would not sign off the four men and permit them to disembark. The private maritime security company alleged that the agent was seeking to exploit the urgency of the situation for financial gain. Furthermore, it accused the agent of ignoring all attempts made to contact them, both by the private maritime security company and the ship’s Master.

Three of the four guards were being repatriated to attend to serious and complicated family matters that only they could resolve.

The fourth guard was suffering from a severely infected leg wound

 The fourth guard was suffering from a severely infected leg wound that required urgent medical treatment in order to avoid sepsis. The overriding priority was the welfare of the guards and, as such, SCAT immediately requested the intervention of an IMO Goodwill Ambassador, who readily agreed to do whatever he could to assist the four stricken men. SCAT also notified the relevant authorities and maritime stakeholders and asked them to take urgent action.

No justification for considering commercial disputes when safety of life was on the line.

After receiving a worrying update about ongoing delays and the worsening morale of the four guards from the private maritime security company on 2 March 2021, SCAT sent an admonishment to the agent. It stressed, in particular, the need to urgently sign-off the injured guard so he could be hospitalised, and reiterated that there could be no justification for considering commercial disputes when safety of life was on the line.

After this direct intervention, the agent informed all parties that it had completed the disembarkation, on compassionate grounds, on the morning of 3 March 2021 and that the injured man had been transferred to hospital.