Sea Views: Double celebration for Salvage Association

The Salvage Association (SA) held a reception in Dubai last week, to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Dubai office and the opening of a new branch in Abu Dhabi. Chief Executive Officer, John Noble and General Manager John Lillie flew in from UK to join the celebrations at the Dubai World Trade Centre Club.

In his address to the guests that represented a wide cross-section of the UAE maritime community, John Noble emphasised an optimistic future for the company underpinned by its financial turnaround over the past two and a half years. During that period, a £3 million annual loss had been reversed to break even, with very high expectations for profit next year.

He also said that the expansion in which the company was now engaged was a reflection of current optimistic trends in the industry and the new style SA had completely superseded the old image of a few years ago, in keeping with these trends. Furthermore, of the changes now implemented within SA, all condition surveying and audits were now in one 'stable' brand-named "shipshape".

Agreement on minimum wage for able seamen

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and International Shipping Federation (ISF) have agreed that the total International Labour Organisation (ILO) monthly minimum wage package for ABs (able seamen) should be $817.

Representatives of the two organisations made up the joint working group of the Joint Maritime Commission that met in Geneva in July. The figure they agreed reflects the maximum overtime hours using the maximum hours of work provisions in ILO Convention No 180 of 104 hours per month. It does not prejudice any existing more favourable agreements.

David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary, commented: "This joint agreement on the total value of the ILO minimum wage shows how much can be achieved through employer/union dialogue in the maritime industry."

Meanwhile, the ITF has slammed certain flag states that are failing to enforce satisfactory working conditions for their ships' crews, including the non-payment of wages.

According to the Union, the majority of monies owing to seafarers are under the flags of Panama, Mongolia, Italy, St Vincent & Grenadines, Bahamas, Singapore, Honduras and China with the nationalities of crews predominantly Phil-ippines, Indonesia, Burma and Russia.

Over the past few months the ITF had collected more that $800,000, with a further $650,000 promised.

Shipbreaking nations agree safer conditions

According to a report in Fairplay, employer and worker delegates from the main ship-breaking countries last week adopted new International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines for safer working conditions. The meeting in Bangkok brought together representatives from Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan and Turkey, with officials from the ILO, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the Secretariat of the Basel Convention, plus international experts.

Notwithstanding that the health and safety guidelines are voluntary, and therefore unenforceable, they do represent a 'first step' in providing a framework for safe working practice, procedures and regulations where they do not already exist.

Paul Bailey, the ILO expert on ship-breaking is quoted as saying that there was a high level of consensus among the participants and "a commitment to improve the situation." He said that, if asked, the ILO would provide technical assistance to those "who cannot abide by it fully at present."

The ILO guidelines compliment the IMO's standards for ships and Basel's guidelines on carriage of hazardous waste. Bailey said an inter-agency project was planned to provide technical assistance in implementing the guidelines and that the ILO, IMO and Basel have been asked to form a 'Joint Working Party' towards making the guidelines into a code and eventually mandatory law.

Frank Kennedy is a marine consultant based in Dubai