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The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers’ Federation have made a joint submission to the International Maritime Organization expressing concern about the apparent failure of some flag states to submit maritime casualty reports to the agency, which is required under several international maritime conventions.
“The lack of investigation and accident reports hinders the development of appropriate measures by IMO to address the cause of serious incidents in which seafarers may have lost their lives,” said Stephen Cotton, ITF’s acting general secretary, in a written statement.
ICS and ITF hope that governments will consider this issue at the next meeting of the IMO Maritime Safety Committee in June.
More at the Journal of Commerce
Industrial action taken at Sydney’s Port Botany in December last year has led to legal action being initiated by stevedore DP World against the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) and two of its senior officials.
DPW is suing for losses it says it incurred during the industrial action on December 18 and 19.
A preliminary judgment has been handed down by the Federal Court dealing with procedural matters, which shows that the stevedore is seeking unquantified reparation for costs relating to storage fees at Port Botany payable by shipping lines which were waived because of delays moving cargo through the terminal; landside payment penalties incurred as a result of rail and road transport delays; storage fees at other ports which were waived by DPW because vessels had been delayed leaving Port Botany; wages paid out for work on delayed vessels; and additional costs incurred in looking after refrigerated cargo.
From Port Strategy
The strike has prompted shipping lines to divert vessels to Shenzhen, China, from Hong Kong’s harbor, and is the biggest revolt against Li, 84, Asia’s richest man. About 450 workers, mostly crane operators and stevedores, walked out on March 28, seeking higher wages and better working conditions as rising living costs and record home prices spur discontent. Hongkong International Terminals is operated by Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (HPHT).
From Business Week:
Li Ka-shing’s Hong Kong port operator and striking workers have published advertisements in an attempt to win public support as a strike over wages extends to almost four weeks.
Hongkong International Terminals Ltd., one of the operators at the world’s third-biggest container port, said the 20 percent raise contract workers are demanding will “create an impact across other industries and cause irreparable damage to Hong Kong,” according to its advertisement in the South China Morning Post. The workers ran an advertisement in the Chinese- language Ming Pao Daily with a headline questioning whether Li really understands their situation.
The escalating protests come after some port workers were told...
Source: The Nation
Source: Washington Post
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