The COVID-19 pandemic posed severe challenges for flag states, port authorities, shipping- and crewing companies. Crew changes were severely hindered since international shipping and Governments were unable to facilitate crew changes and unable to respond effectively to these challenges. Restrictions and delays of crew changes and repatriation, including the measures implemented by countries, brought serious operational consequences, and caused a humanitarian crisis at sea.

Consequently, mariners and seafarers faced the risk of extreme fatigue, physical and mental health crises, increasing the risk of maritime casualties that include collisions, allisions and groundings. Maritime labour rights and basic human rights could not be secured and protected. Without humans, ships cannot move goods or provide services. Thus, the crew change crisis highlighted a severe risk for our global supply chain.

In February 2022, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), UNCTAD and the World Health Organization (WHO) urged governments, the shipping industry and other stakeholders to scale up efforts to safeguard seafarer health and safety to avoid supply chain disruptions during the ongoing pandemic.

Many seafarers today, are still

• forced to remain working onboard vessels beyond the expiry of their contract
• unable to go on shore to receive medical treatment or travel freely
• abandoned by their employers and left isolated on board ships without help or support
• not given the opportunity to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
• not considered to be ‘key workers’

The severe risk for human wellbeing and risks for the global supply chains require further action from all parties concerned worldwide.

Current mandates of UN organizations do not go beyond urging member states to follow UN Resolutions. A holistic approach is needed to ensure that all parties within the maritime industry take action, further pushing UN objective, furthering the mandate of the International Maritime Organization.

At a recent meeting of the International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), the interests of the people – the seafarers – were recognized with the highest of priority to create a safer work culture on board ships for all mariners in support of human element aspects of diversity, equality, equity and inclusion.

In late April, the 105th session of the Maritime Safety Committee supported and approved a proposal to revise and amend Model Course 1.21 on Personal Safety and Social Responsibility to include elements of psychological safety and to deal with trauma and trauma response. The Committee instructed the HTW (Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping) Sub-Committee to develop and finalize, as a matter of priority, STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) training provisions addressing bullying and harassment in the maritime sector, including sexual assault and sexual harassment. This work is going to be part of the “Comprehensive review of the 1978 STCW Convention and Code.”

It is rare that an IMO Model Course is taken forward with priority and is developed and amended in such a short timeframe. The urgency in development and finalization of STCW training provisions on bullying and harassment in the maritime sector rises from emerging and ongoing issues related to personal safety onboard vessels. Repeated issues of sexual assault and sexual harassment occur in the maritime sector, across all cultures, demographics, socio-economic groups and ages, in the same way as they do in wider society. These illegal behaviors and trends affect seafarers’ short- and long-term mental health, safety and well-being which in turn affects recruitment and attrition rates of seafarers.

In addition to instructing the development and finalization of an IMO Model Course on Personal Safety and Social Responsibility, the MSC designated a joint IMO/ILO tripartite working group on the issues. The objective of this joint group is to ensure a safe workplace for seafarers by tackling bullying and harassment in the maritime sector. This group will also work on providing recommendations for future steps, including the development of legislation, mechanisms and policies, and the launching of awareness campaigns by relevant stakeholders aimed at reporting and addressing these matters.

The positive response of IMO member states and Organizations on this topic demonstrates the recognition of a pervasive problem on many ships and a continued commitment to a vibrant, safe and supportive maritime industry.

The work emerged from a paper by the Commonwealth of Dominica submitted to the Sub Committee on Human Element Training and Watchkeeping in January 2022. A second paper, submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee in April 2022, was submitted by the Commonwealth of Dominica, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, ICHCA, IFSMA, InterManager, AMPP and IIMA. These documents raised awareness for the issue and proposed to amend and revise the IMO Model Course on Personal Safety and Social Responsibility (PSSR).

Revisions of the IMO Model Course on PSSR include expanding existing training on safe working practices, as well as including elements of psychological safety in effective communications and healthy human relationships on board ships to include and dealing with trauma and trauma response. The co-sponsors proposed to create a framework that establishes behavioral norms and supports a psychologically safe and just culture in the maritime sector to provide a safer working environment for all.

Since raising the issue at IMO in January 2022, a broader group of stakeholders started to collaborate to further refine the work in a COPE° (Center for Ocean Policy and Economics -a subset of The Northeast Maritime Institute) Working Group. This “COPE° Working Group on Psychological Safety and Sexual Assault and harassment in the Maritime Sector”, uses the UN framework to work on solutions to connect the industry objectives set out. Members of this COPE° working group include representatives from delegations of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Bahamas, and Brazil, along with large maritime industry company representatives, and several maritime NGO’s including WISTA (Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association), IHMA (International Harbor Masters Association), ISWAN (International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network) as well as subject matter experts on psychology, education and maritime safety who are sharing information, ideas, learnings and pooling resources.

The COPE° working group is driven by ethical and humanitarian-based values. Next to the work on the IMO Model Course, the group will work to evaluate and provide training options, designing free courses on Northeast Maritime Online (NEMO°) and investigating other training options. Harmonizing best practices, guidance documents, industry resources and studies are also part of the scope. Lastly, the group is focusing on raising awareness and is open to hear the voices of all people working in the maritime industry.

The work and plenary interventions of the COPE° working group at IMO inspired and incited other IMO member states and organizations to act. This resulted in the submission of several other papers for MSC105 on the same subject matter. The proposals in these papers resulted the designation of a joint IMO/ILO tripartite working group.

The positive outcome of the Maritime Safety Committee, and the historical decision to take this work forward with priority, demonstrates that there is support for honoring mariners globally. It shows that there is a way to facilitate procedures and the work of the IMO work to support the people it serves in a timely fashion.

The COPE° working group has already begun meeting to revise the Model and is expected to yield a work product for the next meeting of the HTW Sub-Committee, in view for adoption by MSC107 in May 2023. The meeting dates for the IMO/ILO tripartite are still to be identified.

For more information on the COPE° Working Group, or to contribute towards its work, contact Eva Lianne Veldkamp at [email protected].

Listen to the Maritime Executive’s #InTheKnow podcast’s conversation between Editor-In-Chief Tony Munoz and Eric R. Dawicki, President of Northeast Maritime Institute – Center for Ocean Policy and Economics. In this conversation, Munoz and Dawicki discuss Northeast Maritime Institute – Center for Ocean Policy & Economics’ agreement with the United States Virgin Islands to develop and manage the first open international ship registry of the United States – the USVI Flag 🇻🇮 !

Fairhaven, MA – The Center for Ocean Policy and Economics (COPE°) has announced the formation of an informal Working Group to develop projects designed to provide solutions to build on an international framework which supports a psychologically safe workplace culture for mariners. It is universally recognized this will have a positive effect on operational safety and security on board ships. Psychological safety is essential to the successful integration of vulnerable and marginalized groups in support of diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion.

The working group will support the work outlined in document MSC105/16/4 of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee as proposed by Dominica, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, InterManager, IIMA, ICHCA International, IFSMA, and AMPP. The submission presents suggestions to amend IMO Model Course 1.21 – Personal Safety and Social Responsibility, which will be discussed by the Maritime Safety Committee in May 2022. Its intention is to develop and deliver relevant actions and impactful solutions, using the UN framework to do the work and connect the industry to objectives.

“It is critical that the IMO quickly develop and implement guidance for programs which address the psychological welfare and safety of today’s mariner, as well as establish guidelines on sexual assault and harassment in the maritime workplace” stated Eva Lianne Veldkamp, IMO Policy Coordinator for the Commonwealth of Dominica Maritime Registry who is leading this effort. “While a lot of talk has been created surrounding these issues, there have not been many policy changes or meaningful actions taken towards supporting Psychological Safety and SASH in maritime. This working group is a great opportunity to translate talk into action.”

The working group welcomes committed maritime government, non-government, corporate, education, science and technology experts and partners to collaborate on developing and delivering relevant actions and impactful solutions to join in their work. Initially, they will be reviewing and suggesting amendments to existing IMO model course 1.21 – PSSR based on the proposals identified in document MSC105/16/4, submitted to IMO Maritime Safety Committee. They will also be evaluating training options, as well as harmonizing best practices and guidance documents amongst United Nations bodies (IMO and ILO); NGO diversity manuals such as ICS, WISTA, ISWAN, BIMCO, INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO and the World Shipping Council as well as industry resources and studies.

It is anticipated that future work of the group will include:

• Turning guidelines into education.
• Amending and expanding existing training on safe working practices, effective communications on board ship and effective human relationships on board ships to include elements of psychological safety and dealing with trauma and trauma response.
• Investigating a uniform mechanism for reporting incidents of assault, harassment, bullying, etc.
• Focusing on the responsibility of companies, governments, and authorities.
• Obtaining USCG approvals and meeting ISO standards.

Organizations and individuals who would like to join the working group are encouraged to reach out to Ms. Eva Lianne Veldkamp at [email protected]

WASHINGTON, DC – A landmark Revitalization Plan for US Maritime Trade, Commerce and Strategic Competition that was launched earlier this month in Washington, DC contains, at its core, a commitment to growing, training, focused on protecting and growing the maritime workforce.  With provisions for increasing jobs for mariners, providing education and training resources, and policies designed to enhance their security and safety, the plan is clearly a benefit for workers and the US maritime industry.

“We have witnessed an industry that has fallen dramatically over the last couple of decades,” observed Eric R. Dawicki, President of Northeast Maritime Institute, the sponsor of the plan.  “We have not witnessed it more so than the last two years with the pandemic being so rough on our maritime trade and commerce. What we’re hoping, what we’re truly hoping, is that all of the relevant stakeholders come together and work together to make this a reality.”  At the launch of the Revitalization Plan, President Dawicki stated: “We gather here today as an interested maritime community, as American citizens and as a collective body of people who care deeply about the maritime industry. We are guided by the creed ‘to honor the Mariner’ and to give back to an industry that has provided wealth and prosperity to our nation throughout the centuries.”

A Revitalization Plan for US Maritime Trade, Commerce and Strategic Competition was developed by a team of Distinguished Fellows at the Northeast Maritime Institute – Center for Ocean Policy and Economics (COPE) and advised by an array of leading thinkers in the maritime industry. Key elements of the plan include formation of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ open international ship registry—the first, and only, international U.S. open ship registry.  The plan also includes establishing and implementing a green shipping strategy, including decarbonization of the U.S.-flagged fleet and modernization of the maritime workforce by deploying state of the art education and training tools in the US and abroad.

“This registry will protect all Merchant Mariners sailing on USVI Flagged vessels, including their legal, physical, and human rights’ asserted Dawicki.  This flag will allow mariners from countries approved by OFAC to participate and find employment.  However, we also want to excite US Mariners to work on USVI vessels by providing the right working conditions, competitive wage scales and realistic health and welfare standards to ensure long-term commitment across the board.  The vision is to provide additional jobs and therefore help expand the US labor pool, not to compete in any manner with existing US jobs and industry.”

The plan to create a US flag open registry has been met with resistance from a coalition of US maritime unions currently making up approximately 18% of the maritime labor pool within the domestic United States.  The Unions ho historically object to changes to the status quo and expressed concern that US mariners will be adversely affected.  In response, Dawicki stated “The Revitalization Plan is the most progressive plan regarding maritime job creation and workforce development in three or four decades.  We stand by the plan as it thoughtfully increases opportunities that are long term and sustainable for economic development through short sea shipping initiatives that will be enabled through the transshipment hub.”

Observed Captain Anuj Chopra, Co-Founder of ESGPlus: “I think the seafarers are excited about this plan as there is a strong welfare element.  We want diversity, equity, and inclusion as an entry point into the system and strong policies against SASH.”

WASHINGTON, DC — The launch of a new United States open registry in the Virgin Islands will give the United States additional resources for protecting our nation, learned attendees to the launch on February 1^st of A Revitalization Plan for US Maritime Trade, Commerce and Strategic Competition.  Included in the plan were the new registry, a transshipment hub planned for the Virgin Islands, a Maritime Venture Capital Fund, green shipping strategy, modernization of the maritime workforce and the development of multilateral partnerships on maritime issues.  Keynote presenters highlighted the need for shoring up U.S. maritime vulnerabilities both at home and abroad.

Opening the event, Morgan G. Dawicki, Project Manager for Northeast Maritime Institute, stated: “There is no question that our world is growing increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. We, the United States, are faced with the challenge to adapt and to continue to promote a rules-based international order. We are faced today with a U.S. maritime industry in decline over the past 75 years, while other nations are investing heavily in growing their maritime portfolios. We are the largest trading nation in the world, and yet control less than a percent of the world’s commercial tonnage. The economic and national security benefits from becoming more competitive in maritime trade and commerce are enormous.”

WASHINGTON, DC — A landmark Revitalization Plan for US Maritime Trade, Commerce and Strategic Competition to support and assist in ensuring maritime sovereignty and security, and revitalizing maritime commerce, was launched last week in Washington, DC.  Leading with remarks by Ambassador John D. Negroponte, the first U.S. Director of National Intelligence and former Deputy Secretary of State followed by the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Honorable Albert Bryan, Jr. and President Eric R. Dawicki of the Northeast Maritime Institute, the event also included a panel of subject matter experts on national security, regulatory enforcement, technology and trade, and mariner welfare.  Highlights of the Plan include the formation of the first U.S. open registry, and other maritime initiatives designed to make the United States more competitive, secure and propel it into a stronger leadership position as a maritime nation.

Signifying the importance of the Plan, Governor Bryan and President Dawicki participated in the signing of a historic agreement between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Northeast Maritime Institute which features their collaboration on the development of the first open U.S. registry.  The significance of the U.S. Virgin Island’s partnership was made known in the retelling of its acquisition from Denmark by the United States in 1917 to help defend the Panama Canal from German U-boats in the region.