A RECENT report from the International Trade Workers’ Federation paints a disturbing picture of abuses of human rights at sea. The ITF used a UN meeting on the law of the sea held in New York last week (June 12-16) to lobby for the inclusion of human and labour rights issues in the maritime and fisheries sectors. The report exposes some of the appalling conditions inflicted on some seafarers and fishers, and highlights systemic failures in the industries’ regulation and practice. The report comments: “The cases cited can sometimes be attributed to exceptional rogue elements within the industry, but more insidious are the routine exploitations that indicate severe failings in the international regulatory process.” Among the cases of injustice in the report are: l The MT Arabian Victory. Crew stranded in port for 45 days in temperatures of 44 degrees C without supplies. Denied any assistance, the captain issued a 48 hour distress notice to the owner and sailed for a port of refuge in India. There the owner used his influence to have it turned away and the abandoned crew accused of hijack. l The Capbreton 1. Crew remained on the ship when it was sold by the French owners to a Nigerian company who then asked them to remain on board and maintain it when it was detained for entering Nigerian waters without authorisation. After seven months without wages or supplies things actually got worse when they were arrested and accused of having an illegal cargo of oil on board. They spent 21 months in prison in appalling conditions. l The MV Salus. Some of the crew had not been paid for two years and were ordered to stay away from the ITF. They were warned by the managing director that two new arrivals would ‘cut out their lungs and make them swim in their own blood’ if they didn’t cooperate. One crew member was assaulted and prevented from leaving the ship by the two new men, the managing director and his bodyguard. Alerted by the ITF the police arrived and found the man locked up with his face, arms and feet taped up. It took police five minutes to free him, by which time he could barely breathe. l Tasman Spirit. In July 2003 the oil tanker Tasman Spirit ran aground at Karachi. Salvors were called in but were unable to prevent an oil leak. Despite the fact that the ship had been under the control of a port pilot the ship’s master, crew and the salvage tug’s captain were arrested and held as political pawns for nine months. It took an international campaign to have them freed without charge.
