A new online tool has been introduced by an institute to help the maritime industry tackle the illegal recruitment fees being charged to seafarers
Seafarers worldwide are being forced to pay recruitment fees, putting them into debt to secure positions on vessels, in a widespread practice that is illegal under the Maritime Labour Convention.
To support the maritime industry in tackling this issue, the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) along with aHamburg, Germany-based maritime manning company, Turtle, have launched a new online tool, backed by major shipping companies.
IHRB said the toolkit provides a five-phase approach to risk management and compliance to help companies identify and mitigate recruitment-fee risks across their operations and supply chains.
The phases move from foundational controls to active oversight, supported by collective action throughout, said the IHRB.
More than 30 major global shipowners, managers, operators, charterers and container cargo owners, insurers and investors have backed this initiative.
These include Odfjell, CMA CGM, NYK Ship Management, Wilhelmsen Ship Management, IMC Ship Management, Anglo American, Louis Dreyfus, Mercuria, Inter IKEA Group, Gard and South32.
“No worker should face the scourge of recruitment fees,” said Francesca Fairbairn, who leads IHRB’s work within the shipping industry.
“Yet our research shows these illegal fees are endemic in shipping, putting a heavy burden on the seafarers who transport our goods and keep 90% of the world’s trading running,” she said.
“Further, the financial stress of the debt they face as a result of fees can lead to unsafe working conditions on board ships. Seafarers deserve better.”
The online toolkit was created following IHRB and Turtle’s research into illegal recruitment fees, which showed that 31% of seafarers had been asked to pay a recruitment fee to secure a job on board a merchant vessel.
“Part of the problem is knowing if fees are being paid by crew up the chain, and many seafarers are unaware that these fees are illegal,” said Ms Fairbairn.
