ISPS and manning issues

Abstract

Seafaring is a profession and seafarers are just like any other ordinary workers of a work force. They should enjoy the same rights as accorded to workers ashore. Those rights include the right to life, right to payment of wages, right to healthy, safe and decent working conditions. People working ashore have variety of access to medical services and if they fall sick, the hospitals and clinics are at their disposal twenty-four hours a day. Seafarers have to depend on a ship’s first aid kit, thus, it is really important for seafarers to be allowed ashore to visit a clinic or other medical facilities whilst in port.Due to the nature of ship operations, seafarers often work 14 to 16 hours a day. Even with the adoption of regulations by the International Maritime Organization’s Conventions and recommendations like Seafarer’s Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention 1996, these conditions of excessive working hours still persist. Thus, there is an urgent need for relevant states and International Organizations to adopt a new approach to draft legislation relating to human factors and the need of seafarers.