ITF: problems were found on board of more than 6,000 FOC vessels

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) published the results of the campaign against flags of convenience  2017. Thus, there were no problems  on board only 2,201 vessels out of  total 9,160 inspected ones.

The top five deficiencies revealed  during the inspections were the following: absence of a collective bargaining agreement, violation of contract conditions by employers, non-compliance with international regulations and poor medical care on board.

The crews of 1,490 vessels complained about non-payment of wages: in total, ITF Inspectors around the world succeeded in recovering more than $31.5 millions of back wages. Of these, $ 4,689,367 were returned to seafarers by the ITF Inspectors in Russia, who made as much as 521 inspections.

The Seafarers' Union of Russia highlights that the flags of  convenience can present risks for seafarers, as they are often used by shipowners who make profit out of  crew members' exploitation.

It is only valid ITF Collective Bargaining Agreement that can  provide the crew of a vessel under a flag of convenience with high wages, insurance cover,  good working conditions, well-run supply system and other social guarantees. In total, by the end of 2017,  297,455 seafarers have been working under the protection of  collective bargaining agreements, and this is only a small part of the marine specialists working around the world.