ON behalf of the Secretary-General of IMO, it is indeed a honour and
privilege for me to be with you today in this wonderful, vibrant city of
Lagos, and to have the opportunity during the celebrations of the World
Maritime Day on the “Year of the Seafarer,” to address for the second
time today, on the topic “Contribution of Seafarers to the Global
Economy.”
The issue of seafarers and consultation among key
stakeholders in the shipping industry will, I believe, become the
biggest challenge that the industry will, I believe, become the biggest
challenge that the industry and all those connected with it will face
over the coming years.
I would like to begin by congratulating the
organisers, the Federal Ministry of Transport, it agencies and
stakeholders, for their initiative and for their efforts in bringing
this forum together.
To talk about the contribution of seafarers
to the global economy, we need to, first, define “Globalisation,” which
may mean different things to different people. For some, it is the
culprit of poverty and war, for others, globalisation is a requirement
to economic development for a growing world population.
For the maritime industry, it is simply a concept that describes a trend in international trade. It means:
• That trade is growing faster than the world’s Gross Domestic Product, and
•
That this trade is not only in finished goods and services, but
increasingly in components and services that are used within globalised
production processes. Maritime transport is growing because it is
required to move traded goods and components, and trade in maritime
services it itself also taking place on an ever more global scale.
At
the same time, maritime business itself is probably the most globalised
industry. Most maritime transport provided between two or more
countries, and the service providers no longer need to be nationals of
the same countries whose cargo they move.
In fact, a simple
commercial transaction may easily involve people and property from a
dozen different countries, e.g. a Greek owned vessel, built in Korea,
may be chartered to a Nigerian operator, who employs Philippine
seafarers via a Cypriot crewing agent, is registered in Panama, insured
in the UK, and transport German made cargo in the name of a Swiss
freight forwarder from a Dutch port to Argentina, through terminals that
are concessioned to port operators from Hong Kong and Australia. To
complicate matters, the vessel could end up being held by Somali
pirates! International standardisation, an important component of
globalisation in general, also affects shipping.
Thanks to
containerisation, any liner shipping company from anywhere in the world
can now easily enter new markets and provide its services globally.
Equivalently, international operator are now in a position to take a
concession of a container terminal in any port of the world, suppliers
of port and ship equipment produce and sell globally, and ISO’s and
IMO’s standards concerning quality, safety and training apply equally on
all international waters. Any discussion of the impact of globalisation
on maritime business will be incomplete if the human element (seafarer)
is not included.
I am sure that many of you are former seafarers,
who may still have a very strong affinity with all those, who go down
to the sea in ships and on whom we all rely to a very large extent
indeed. To this end, I would like to highlight the important service
that a seafarer carries for the benefit of mankind – a service that has
never been readily recognised.
As you are aware, more than ninety
per cent of the world trade is carried by ships and these ships are
manned and operated by seafarers. Hence it can be safely said that
ninety per cent of mankind’s needs are being served by directly or
indirectly by seafarers. This being the case, we could safely conclude
that about 1.5 million seafarers cater to the needs of ninety per cent
of over seven billion persons in this world. I may be wrong, but I am
yet to find a parallel where so few have served so many. Yet, God forbid
if there is an accident, then it is the same seafarer, who is vilified
and in a growing number of cases criminalised for something, which may
not be negligence. In such cases, the poor seafarer is in a situation
where instead of the normal adage – innocent until proven guilty, it is
taken for granted that one is guilty until proved innocent. I think the
time has come for the world to stand up and recognise the valuable
services being rendered by the seafarers and to honour them accordingly.
Furthermore,
the civil society is generally unaware of the important role played by
the shipping industry in their day to day life. They seem to be
blissfully unaware that without shipping there would be virtually no
international commerce and, as a result and to use the phase of the
secretary-general of IMO, “One half of the world would starve while the
other half would freeze.”
The only time they become aware of the
shipping industry is after a maritime accident – where a bird covered
with oil on a polluted beach is flashed all over the newspapers and the
electronic media. Hence, before going into further aspects for the
development of the seafarer, I would appeal to one and all here to
project a positive image of the industry that has a good track record
and a good story to tell – one that contributes significantly to global
and sustainable prosperity by carrying the overwhelming majority of
world trade safely, securely, efficiently and at a fraction of the
environmental impact of other modes of transport.
We should not
miss a single opportunity to raise the profile of shipping as a vibrant
industry, which, in keeping with its corporate social responsibilities,
provides rewarding, stimulating and long-term career prospects. In so
doing, we should focus not only on ensuring that politicians and the
general public are better informed of shipping’s great value to the
international community, but also on promoting a career at sea and the
variety of opportunities it offers among the children and young people
in schools and universities all over the world.
Manpower shortage
For
quite some time the major part of the world trade has been carried by
ships. In fact today, more than 90 per cent of the international world
trade is carried by ships. These ships are manned and operated by
seafarers.
However, the supply of seafarers in sufficient numbers
continues to cause concern, in particular when set against the
unprecedented rise in orders for new buildings. The BIMCO/ISF manpower
study of 2005 estimated a shortfall of 10,000 officers or a 2 per cent
of the total workforce and projected that this shortfall would increase
to 27,000 or about 6 per cent of the total workforce. The study, of
course, did not take into account the recent unprecedented rise in
orders for new buildings.
This shortage is exacerbated by the
apparent reluctance of young people to join the ranks, take on higher
duties or, even more importantly, to remain in service. This coupled
with recent unhelpful legislation and practices, which have the
potential to discourage them to do so, continues to be a challenge for
all of us.
It is no exaggeration to say that manning, training and
all the other aspects of the human element in shipping are central to
many of these issues, which now face our industry. Safety, security,
shipping’s environmental credentials and, indeed, the whole future
sustainability of the industry – subsequently of mankind also are all
dependent to a great extent on the cultivation of capable and effective
manpower resource.
Until recently, much of the regulatory process
within IMO was focused on developing measures, which sought to improve
what might be termed the hardware of shipping – the ships themselves,
the way they are built, the way they are equipped, the way they are
maintained. But, in looking at how improvements in the performance of
shipping can best be achieved in this new century, IMO has taken the
conscious decision to concentrate its efforts much more strongly on the
human element. This “shifting the emphasis onto people” has become
enshrined as one of the Organisation’s guiding principles for IMO in the
new millennium.
Year of the seafarer
When IMO first mooted
the idea that the theme for 2010 should focus on “the seafarer” we
wanted to do two things; first, we wanted to draw attention to a
workforce that is largely unheralded and unacknowledged, often even
within the industry it serves: and, second, we wanted to extend the
theme beyond the regular World Maritime Day celebrations and to
galvanise a momentum that would last for the whole year and, indeed,
beyond. We wanted 2010 to be the start of this momentum; but we
certainly do not want the end of 2010 to be the end of the initiative.
As
was mentioned in the secretary-general’s World Maritime Day message
earlier today, at the beginning of 2010, we identified three targets
that we would be happy to see achieved in conjunction with our “Year of
the Seafarer” initiative. They were:
One, increased awareness among the general public of the indispensable services seafarers render to civil society at large.
Two,
a clear message to seafarers that we recognise and appreciate their
services; that we do care about them, and that we do all that we can
look after and protect them when the circumstances of their life at sea
so warrant and
Three, redoubled efforts at the regulatory level to
move from words to deeds to create a better world in which seafarers
can operate.
I think I can
safely say that progress has been made towards all three of these. It
was always envisaged that the theme would constitute a focal point
around which the maritime community as a whole could rally, to seek ways
to recognize and pay tribute to seafarers for their unique contribution
to society and the vital part they play in the facilitation of global
trade. This has undoubtedly been happening and there have been numerous
examples of this from all over the world. The fact that you are gathered
here today is a good example of the action taken by authorities in
Nigeria towards this call.
The “Year of the Seafarers” has also
helped to re-focus attention on the pressing need to come to grips with
the long-predicted labour-supply shortage in the shipping industry – a
shortage that may have been temporarily alleviated by the recent
downturn in global trade but which, nevertheless, remains ever-present.
This makes it imperative for shipping to re-launch itself as a career of
choice for the high-calibre, high-quality young people of today. In
this context, the “Year of the Seafarer,” has added valuable impetus to
the “Go to Sea!” campaign, which we launched at IMO Headquarters in
November 2008, in association with the International Labour
Organisation, the “Round Table” of shipping industry associations and
the International Transport Worker’s Federation.
Above all,
though, the “Year of the seafarer” provides an excellent opportunity to
reassure those, who labour at the “sharp end” of the industry – the
seafarers themselves – that those of us, who work in other areas of the
maritime community, and yet whose action have such a bearing on
seafarers’ everyday lives, understand the extreme pressures they face
and approach our tasks with genuine interest and concern.
Manila amendments to the STCW convention and code
Undeniably,
the most crucial, central and pivotal role in IMO’s work in this
respect is played by the sub-committee on Standards of Training and
Watchkeeping – STW, which, through the Maritime Safety Committee, has
the mandate to regulate how shipmasters, chief engineers, deck and
engine-room watchkeepers and ratings – in other words, the entire human
element manning ships – should discharge their responsibilities relating
to safeguarding life at sea, property and the marine environment.
The
first international convention on seafarer training standards – the
International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and
Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) – was adopted in 1978. And since then,
IMO has regularly revised and updated that Convention bearing in mind
the importance of the human element in safety management ashore and
afloat.
In this respect, the most significant achievement of the
year undoubtedly came in June this year, with the adoption, by a
diplomatic Conference in Manila, the Philippines, of major revisions to
the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and
Wachkeeping for Seafarers – the STCW Convention and Code. Scheduled to
enter into force on January 1, 2012, these revisions will ensure that
the necessary global standards will be in place to train and certify
seafarers to operate technologically advanced ships for some time to
come.
The seafarer dilemma and opportunities
Various
technological advances have helped reduce the number of crew required on
board a ship compared to the period before the 1980s. This has by no
means diminished the role of seafarers in the maritime business, on the
contrary, crewing costs still constitute a major component of the
operating cost of a ship, and crew-related issues remain relatively
complex. The impacts of globalisation on seafaring serve as excellent
illustrations of the pros and cons of globalisation in general.
Seafaring
is a glorious profession and has no room for error or negligence.
Indeed the education of a young sailor is incomplete if it does not
include indoctrination for facing calamities at sea or ashore.
Successful seafarers are unique individuals. The uniqueness comes not
from the possession of any extraordinary intellectual capacity but from
the possession of simple common-sense (often referred at sea as behaving
in a “seamanlike manner.)” The training and skills required for
seafarers are by no means restricted to any particular nationality,
race, religion or creed.
On the contrary, well-trained seafarers
from a poor country can do the same job as effectively as their well
trained, colleagues from a developed nation at drastically reduced cost
to the ship owner. Herein lies the dilemma – globalisation has opened up
avenues of opportunity for seafarers from developing countries, such as
Nigeria, at the expense of those from traditional maritime countries
such as the North European nations, the United States and Japan.
Today’s
labour market for seafarers is perhaps the most globalised, standards
and minimum wages are agreed globally, as for example in the “Geneva
Accord” (ILO 2001), where “Representatives of shipowners and seafarers”
adopt a historic accord on the future development of labour standards in
the international shipping industry.
It may be recalled that in
today’s global society, the supply of seagoing manpower, not just to
national fleets but to foreign ships, too, has become a major revenue
earner for some developing countries such as the Philippines and India,
with their long and powerful tradition of seafarers’ training.
But what Africa’s position in this regard?
You
cannot examine the role of the African seafarers without briefly
looking at the historical developments on the continent. Trade relations
between Africa and the rest of the world have remained more-or-less the
same since colonial times. Primary commodities from Africa are traded
for manufactured goods from industrialised countries, transported by
international shipping line, which are dominated by operators in
developed countries. Just a few African shipping lines have managed to
stay in the market to-date. Many, including the Nigerian National
Shipping Lines, collapsed in the late 1970s and 80s following, the
economic difficulties of the era as well as unfair conditions governing
international shipping. Lack of African shipping lines meant that there
were no training facilities for African seafarers.
For quite some
time now, African maritime transport stakeholders have been reflecting
on cost-effective strategies for building the capacity of Africa to
invest in the various maritime businesses, especially in the ownership
and management of shipping lines. Given the previous unsuccessful
arrangements in many African countries whereby only the public sector
(government institutions) managed national fleets, the new perspective
has been to explore a§ number of possibilities with an enhanced role of
the private sector and cross border (multinational) investments.
Some
of you may recall that in addressing the various maritime issues on the
continent, the African Union Commission in collaboration with the
Federal Republic of Nigeria oragnised the First Conference of Ministers
responsible for Maritime Transport held in Abuja from 19 to 23 February
2007. The ministers considered a comprehensive maritime agenda for
Africa and adopted a Declaration and Plan of Action for the development
of maritime transport in the continent.
Later in April 2008, a
conference of ministers of Transport (all modes) was convened by the
African Union in Algiers, Algeria where the continental maritime
transport Plan of Action, among others, was reviewed and updated. As a
follow-up, the second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible
for Maritime Transport under the theme “Creation of a Safe, Security and
Clean Maritime Transport Industry” was convened and held in Durban, the
Republic of South Africa, from 15 to 16 October, 2009.
The outcome of that Conference was the adoption by the Minister of:
• The African maritime transport charter;
• The Durban Resolution on Maritime Security, Safety and Protection of the Maritime Environment in Africa; and
• Maritime Transport Plan of Action 2009-2012.
Article 3 of the African Maritime Charter has thirteen objectives including two, which are relevant to the seafarers, namely:
• Promote the provision of maritime education and training at all levels including secondary schools, and
• Promote the employment of seafarers, decent working conditions and training of seafarers.
The
Plan of Action constitutes a negotiation document vis-à-vis development
partners likely to support Africa in its efforts at developing maritime
transport in the continent. One of the objectives in the Plan of Action
is to “develop Africa’s training capacities in the area of maritime and
port administration.”
If Africa is to benefit from the
opportunities presented by the envisaged worldwide shortage of
seafarers, then the first pre-requisite is to develop and build
capacities of its maritime training institutions in line with global
standards. There are 13 maritime training centres in Africa (including
one Regional Maritime Academy and one Regional Maritime University)
providing training for most of the seafarers in the shipping industry.
For many years, one of the major identified problems has been the
shortage of sea-time training vessels for cadets attending Maritime
academies in developing countries.
In the recent past, IMO and
Gdynia Maritime University have organised three training programmes for a
total of 87 cadets from African countries on board the Polish training
vessel Dar Mlodziezy. For this “Year of the Seafarer,” part of our
programme for Capacity Building include exploring a mechanism for
finding some training berths on vessels for cadets’ sea time.
To
assist African maritime training institutions, and within the framework
of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IMO and the Chinese
Ministry of Transport, a very successful training workshop attended by
20 Principals/Trainers from 10 African Maritime Academies (including
Maritime Academy of Nigeria) was held in Shanghai, from 18 to 31
October, 2008. China hosted and funded the workshop at the Shanghai
Maritime University (SMU).
Following that event, a co-operation
agreement between the Ghana Regional Maritime University (RMU) and the
SMU was signed and joint training programmes between the two
universities are being developed.
Another outcome of this workshop was the formation of an Association of African Maritime Academies.
In
September 2009, and as a follow-up to that workshop, a delegation of
five Chinese officials, accompanied by the IMO regional coordinators,
undertook maritime training needs assessment missions to three African
countries. The objective of these missions was to assess, at first hand,
the needs of the maritime training institutions in those countries, and
to explore areas of mutual/bilateral co-operation and assistance
between Chinese training institutions and their African counterparts.
Although
IMO has, over the years, provided technical assistance to a number of
African countries to assist them in meeting requirements on the
implementation of the International Convention on Standards of Training,
Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 (STCW Convention),
only 17 countries are on the “White List” to date. Even for the
countries that are on the White List, a lot of work still needs to be
done for the full and effective compliance of the STCW Convention.
As
you may be aware IMO, through its ITCP, has placed a lot of emphasis on
capacity building through training institutions such as WMU, IMLI and
support to regional and national maritime training institutions.
However, it has come to IMO’s attention that many of the maritime
training institutions in developing countries in Africa, south east
Asia, the Pacific and the Central American regions are very ill equipped
for the purpose for which they were established, i.e., training of
maritime personnel.
To address this deficiency, and bearing in
mind that 2010 is the “Year of Seafarer,” IMO has committed an
allocation of some $2.5 million to support the training institutions by
way of provision of training equipment.
The way ahead
As
we have seen from the foregoing, s seafarers continued to make a huge
contribution to the global economy and the centre of gravity of the
labour market has been shifting from traditional maritime countries in
western Europe, Japan and north America to the Far East, Indian
sub-continent and eastern Europe. This opens an opportunity for Africa
including Nigeria with its numerous resources, to prepare itself to fill
the gap. However, Nigeria as well as other African countries should
take urgent steps to domesticate the African Maritime Charter and ensure
that the Maritime Transport Plan of Action 2009-2012 is equally
implemented.
I believe that there is a need for a concerted effort
by all of us here, using all available means including the electronic
media to project this positive image of shipping as responsible and
environmentally conscious industry which provides stimulating and
long-term career prospects to young people, while carrying over ninety
per cent of world trade.
With a coastline of 853 bordering the
Atlantic Ocean in the Gulf of Guinea, a maritime sea area of 46,500
sq.km and exclusive economic zone of 210,900 sq.km, Nigeria is endowed
with a highly productive open sea with abundant and diverse maritime
resources. I understand that Nigeria has only approximately 2,000
seafarers at present, which is a very small percentage of her
population. The training facilities available at the Maritime Academy of
Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, and in other institutions should be developed in
a holistic manner so that Nigerian seafarers can be trained to take
their rightful place in contributing to the global economy.
IMO
wholeheartedly endorses, recognizing as it does, that the continued
development of a high-quality global manpower resource for the
international shipping industry is of paramount importance for its
present existence and its preservation in the future.
