InterManager secretary general Captain Kuba Szymanski has heavily criticised Singapore’s Maritime Port Authority (MPA), branding them as “selfish” for its stance on crew changes, with the authority refusing to allow new crew to sign on, but allowing existing crew to leave.
Szymanski also sought support from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) secretary-general Kitack Lim, in a letter to the IMO sent today. He said that InterManager had received “worrying correspondence” from the MPA which suggested it would give priority to crew change applications from Singapore registered ships, but also that it would accept other applications for “sign-off crew only, without signing-on new crew”.
“This creates a myriad of issues to the safety of seafarers and would present a significant breach of the seafarers’ humanitarian rights,” wrote Szymanski.
Singapore was one of 13 signatories to a letter pledging support for crew changes at a virtual IMO meeting last month. At that time the Singapore delegation signed a declaration that it would “Engage, nationally, multilaterally and bilaterally, in discussions about implementation, to the maximum extent possible, as appropriate to the circumstances that may prevail nationally or locally, of the recommended framework of protocols for ensuring safe ship crew changes and travel during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.”
Szymanski told Container News, Singapore is looking after its citizens, which InterManager wholeheartedly supports, “We share those concerns,” he said. However, Szymanski added, “Singapore must work with the protocols developed by ICS [the International Chamber of Shipping] and others, procedures submitted to the IMO that are the best industry practice.”
He went on to say, “Singapore is being selfish, they want our ships, but not our seafarers.”
Furthermore, it is not possible for shipowners to sign off crew in Singapore and not replace them with fresh seafarers, “ship operations would stop,” argued Szymanski. “It is apparent that all walks of life have suffered [from the pandemic], but seafarers are at the end of their wits,” he said.
Kitack Lim had not, as yet, responded to the letter from InterManager.
The MPA, contacted by Container News, said that it will respond in due course.
Nick Savvides
Managing Editor
