Bibliothèque

After months of being trapped at sea due to the pandemic, the current war in Ukraine is holding hundreds of thousands of seafarers hostage from the global merchant fleet. There are indeed many seafarers of both Ukrainian and Russian nationalities working on board ships. Many Ukrainian seafarers yearn to go home whilst the sanctions are making it harder to sign on Russian seafarers.

The EU Ship Recycling Regulation needs “major surgery”, but the current proposals offer little more than a sticking plaster, says Gudrun Janssens Head of Environmental & Technical Affairs, Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association on the latest GMS Podcast.

According to the annual piracy report published recently by the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), piracy and armed robbery at sea last year has reached an all-time low since 1994. But the threat remains.

Following the inoculation of foreign and Belgian seafarers since June, Belgium is once again spearheading a booster vaccine campaign for these maritime workers starting 7 December.

There is no doubt now that the HKC will ensure that earlier substandard ship recycling practices are banned, and this to the benefit of people working in the industry and the marine environment

Piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea have reached alarming levels. It is high time European policy makers improve the situation for vessels and crew operating in this area through a number of methods. The poor security situation is jeopardising trade and development in the region and globally.