The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has finalised new guidelines to protect seafarers against unfair treatment if they are detained in a foreign jurisdiction on suspicion of committing a crime.
The guidelines were finalised during the IMO Legal Committee’s 111th session, chaired by Gillian Grant of Canada, at the organisation’s London headquarters recently.
They must be applied in situations where seafarers have been detained in a jurisdiction other than that of their nationality on suspicion of committing crimes during their employment on board a ship. The guidelines seek to protect seafarers’ rights to due process during an investigation and detention by public authorities.
“The well-being of seafarers continues to be of great concern to me and the entire membership of IMO,” said Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez at the meeting.
“The guidelines will add a significant value in resolving the challenges faced by seafarers and ensure that seafarers are treated fairly.”
The set of guidelines includes guidance for flag states, port states and coastal states as well as shipowners and seafarers. The base document will be submitted to the Joint International Labour Organization (ILO)/IMO Tripartite Working Group (JTWG) to identify and address seafarers’ issues and the human element. The JTWG will then submit the final document to the legal committee and the ILO’s governing body for approval.
In addition, the legal committee also established a new task force to review and update the joint ILO/IMO abandonment database, to enhance accuracy and efficiency of the platform.
The database contains regularly updated information on vessels and seafarers that have been reported as abandoned worldwide.
The upgrade will enhance data accuracy and monitoring and support the faster resolution of abandonment cases.
The committee also made progress on several other major issues, including the fraudulent registration and fraudulent registries of ships, autonomous shipping, and guidelines for accepting insurance companies and certificates.
Read the full summary of the meeting.
