Labor

The United Kingdom's decision to reduce funding for its Maritime Investigation and Accident Bureau - specifically, a reduction in MAIB staff, has left many in the industry concerned about this decision's potential impact.

A Lloyd's List columnist writes:

An International Maritime Bureau representative spoke with the ISRR following our article regarding their collaboration with Panama, Liberia and the Marshall Islands to collect information measuring the human cost of piracy. Tanasegaran, a representative for IMB Head Noel Choong, said:

The European Union remains undecided regarding the validity of Filipino seafarer certification, a decision which “will have huge implications for the labour supply of European Union-flagged vessels.”

The registries of Liberia, Panama and the Marshall Islands have each signed a declaration to report information to the International Maritime Bureau regarding incidents of violence at sea.

Cunard has made an historic decision to switch their cruise ships' registry from the United Kingdom to Bermuda. The ISRR considers possible reasons for the change.

As the continued issue of piracy increases the use of armed guards onboard vessels in response, the need for coordinating international guidelines has also escalated.

Lloyd's List columnist Michael Grey recently wrote an editorial piece about the role of the maritime sector as an important part of the British legacy.

Recent changes to classification laws require deepwater, self-propelled drilling vessels, traditionally identified as mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs) to now be identified as dynamic positioning vessels (DPVs). This regulatory change results in stricter crewing requirements for these drilling vessels.

Doug Stevenson (Center for Seafarer Rights), USCG Adm. Kevin Cook, Roberto Giorgi (President, V.Ships), Peter Hinchliffe (int. Chamber of Shipping) and Guy E.C. Maitland (Man. Partner International Registries, Inc.) discuss the on-going threat of piracy off of Somalia.

The ITF has requested a lifting of Turkey's embargo on Cypriot-flagged ships in the hopes of creating more equal opportunities for both Cypriot and Turkish laborers.