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On the Day of the Seafarer, the Royal Belgian Shipowners’ Association (KBRV) joins the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in supporting the 2025 theme, “My Harassment-Free Ship.” This global initiative underscores the vital importance of fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive working environment for all seafarers. Diversity, equity, and inclusion—including the empowerment of women and other underrepresented groups—are essential for the long-term success of the maritime industry.

The KBRV attended the event organised on the Day of the Seafarer by the European Community Shipowners' Association (ECSA) at the Antwerp Maritime Academy, opened by Paul Van Tigchelt, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea.

At the forthcoming second meeting of the Joint ILO-IMO Tripartite Working Group to Identify and Address Seafarers’ Issues and the Human Element (27-29 February 2024), participants will discuss the follow-up of the resolution on harassment and bullying including sexual assault and sexual harassment (SASH) in the maritime sector.

België is een belangrijke maritieme speler en heeft als dusdanig regelmatig schepen in de regio van de Perzische Golf. De Koninklijke Belgische Redersvereniging (KBRV) volgt de snel escalerende situatie in de Straat van Hormuz en de Perzische Golf met de grootste bezorgdheid. De KBRV staat in nauw en permanent contact met haar leden en de Belgische autoriteiten om de veiligheid van de Belgische scheepvaart in de regio te garanderen.

Exactly a year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine. This major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War plunged Europe and the rest of the world into an energy and food crisis. This invasion surprised many who thought that armed conflicts of this degree would nowadays not be possible on European soil. Especially after a global pandemic that had just brought the whole world to its knees by incapacitating the supply chain of goods and raw material.

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.

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.