Labor

A policy requiring Polish seafarers working aboard the Norwegian International Register (NIS) to pay Polish income taxes, effective January 1, 2011, raises questions about the future of open registry labor policies.

The US Coast Guard's latest docket announces its plans to recognize foreign certifications for seafarers, as required by Regulation I/10 of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Treaty (STCW) Convention. From the docket:

The ISRR recommends readers visit our partner site, e3forum, for updates on the explosion of an offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday.

Samho Shipping has stated that it is in the process of negotiations with the Somali pirates who seized the company's VLCC Samho Dream in April this year.

The US Coast Guard intends to allot funding to "seafarers involved in national investigations or abandoned by their employers" in its latest US Coast Guard Authorization Bill.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore issued a press release stating that shipowners, agents, and captains may ask the Singapore Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) to help evacuate crew members in need of urgent medical care when their vessel is within the Singapore Maritime Search and Rescue Region (MRCC).

Last month, President Obama issued an Executive Order regarding recent conflicts in Somalia. As the ISRR wrote when the order was first released, it is unclear what Obama's intentions were in releasing it, particularly with regards to ransom payments to Somali pirates.

Now the MTI Network, the leading crisis media response firm, has published the following release in response to the order:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="The MV Talca"][/caption]

Norwegian based Torald Klaveness Group (TKG) announced plans to hire hundreds of seafarers from the Philippines over the next few years as it invests in new vessels in hopes of a market recovery.

Spain has amended legislation regarding eligibility to serve as chief mate and captain on nationally-flagged ships to comply with European Commission requirements.