As the annual Day of the Seafarer dawns (June 25), InterManager, whose members manage more than 250,000 of the world’s seafarers, has reaffirmed its commitment to crewmembers with a package of activities aimed at addressing crew-related issues.
The association, whose members are involved in the management of a third of the world fleet, is working with industry partners and training institutions on a number of projects to benefit crew members throughout the global shipping sector.
These include taking part in an important research project into Hours of Rest coordinated by Warsash College and funded by the Nippon Foundation, which aims to establish best practices to fight fatigue among seafarers.
Other initiatives include industry-wide psychometric profiling to identify key skills for onboard roles, and a project aiming to address the issue of unnecessary red-tape in the shipping industry, a project to assist owners and managers to introduce internet communications onboard for crew members, and a plastic money solution for faster and safer crew payments.
InterManager is also liaising with providers of insurance services, such as Crewsure, principally in relation to abandonment insurance policies, and is working with industry partners to improve medical health and training for seafarers, particularly in the Philippines. InterManager continues to raise awareness of safety issues relating to the design and operation of lifeboats.
In addition, InterManager continues to speak out on the need for comprehensive and internationally-led solutions to the problem of piracy, working in particular with the Save Our Seafarers campaign which is chaired by former InterManager chairman Alastair Evitt.
InterManager Secretary General, Captain Kuba Szymanski, himself a former tanker Master, said, “Crew matters form the biggest part of ship management activities and our members are keen to put crew-related issues at the top of our agenda. Ensuring that seafarers are treated properly and have good facilities onboard is very important to ensuring management practices meet the standards set out by our Code of Conduct as well as being essential to retaining high quality crew members. By putting our efforts and expertise into these projects, InterManager is contributing to the improvement of working conditions for the world’s seafarers.”
