“Seafarers: the core of the future of shipping” has been chosen as the world’s maritime theme for 2021, reflecting the urgent need to raise awareness of the important role seafarers play in trade. world trade and to broaden their horizons.
The focus on seafarers comes as the Covid-19 pandemic places extraordinary and unprecedented demands on them. Hundreds of thousands of seafarers have faced and are still dealing with extended time at sea, months of living and working on ships away from their families and loved ones. The 2020 Covid-19 crew change crisis has highlighted the exceptional contribution seafarers make as key and essential workers on the front lines of moving world trade through. pandemic, return to normal activities.
At the 32nd Extraordinary Meeting, held from May 4 to August 3, 2020 through an exchange of letters, the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed on this topic. at the proposal of IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Kitack Lim.
This theme will provide flexibility to the IMO Secretariat, Member States and NGOs in a consultative role for IMO to focus on seafarers who are at the heart of shipping, At the same time, it allows activities to delve into specific topics related to the role of seafarers in maritime safety, security, protection of the marine environment, seafarers’ health, the future of the profession. seafaring in the context of increasing digitization and automation.
Secretary-General Kitack Lim said that, more than ever, the Covid-19 pandemic shows how vital it is to ensure the functioning of global supply chains and facilitate safe and efficient operations. of sea transportation. “Through these difficult times, the international community has seen how capable shipping services and seafarers are in delivering critical goods, including medical supplies and food. , is central to dealing with and ultimately overcoming this pandemic. This could not have happened without the professionalism and dedication of the world’s seafarers,” Mr Lim said.
Seafarers have always been at the heart of everything that IMO has done, is doing and will do. IMO has focused on training seafarers, putting the human factor at the center of the process of developing new regulations or amending and supplementing existing ones. Seafarers’ contributions to shipping and world trade are always recognized and appreciated by the international community through the annual “Seafarers Day” campaign. In 2020, this campaign is repeated for the 10th time with the theme “Seafarers are key workers”.
The World Maritime Theme for 2021 is also linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDG) – in particular, Goal 4 on education and training; objective 8 relates to good work; objective 9 on innovation and industry, linked to the promotion of a resilient maritime sector; and goal 5 on gender equality, associated with efforts to promote seafaring as a profession for everyone, especially women. Furthermore, the 2021 theme can be seen as an extension of the 2020 theme, which is “Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet” as seafarers are also at the core of that theme. .
With a management team of nearly 20 years of working experience in the maritime market, the experience related to crew members of Pacific Marine Management Co., Ltd. is extremely diverse and rich.
We use these valuable experiences to manage over 300 officers and crew members. The crew members of the management company are carefully selected from universities, colleges and vocational schools specializing in maritime.
The company’s officers and crew members have experience in traveling on different types of ships such as: Container ships, timber tankers, oil tankers, chemical tankers, bulk carriers (including large bulk carriers: capesize, post panamax …), general cargo ships, specialized ships carrying Cement, Offshore….
We will provide you with the crew members with specific personal data, the seafarer’s experience and the qualifications, certificates and passports that the Seafarers hold for you to choose from. suitable candidates for your organization.
You are also completely assured that Avoid using poor quality or deserted crew. Because with low-quality seafarers or warned by the Port Authority of any country that the ship calls through or the Seafarer User’s own, we will be put on the Do Not Use (Blacklist) list and certainly would never use such components.
Pacific Maritime Management Company Limited – PMM
Address: 5th Floor, R.505 – 527, Thanh Dat 1 Building, No. 3 Le Thanh Tong, Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong City, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 225 3686 679
Email: crew@pacificmarine.com.vn
Website: https://pacificmarine.com.vn/
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Statistics from the Vietnam Maritime Administration show that by the end of 2019, the number of ships flying the Vietnamese flag was about 1,500. With more than 41,000 seafarers holding Certificates of Competency (GCCNCM) working on board ships, in theory, the number of officers and crew members still meets the needs of the domestic fleet (average 15 people). /ship) and the needs of foreign-flagged ships.
However, Mr. Vu Khang Cuong, Head of the Ship and Crew Registration Department (Vietnam Maritime Administration) said that it is increasingly difficult for ship owners to recruit crew members, especially those with high skills. Some ship owners have to use foreign crew members, including low-ranking titles such as OS (internship), AB (experienced) to maintain the operation of the fleet.
According to Mr. Nguyen Que Duong, Head of Crew and Ship Management Department (VN Maritime Corporation – Vinalines), Vietnam’s crew is currently in serious shortage. “If decades ago, shipping companies like Vosco, Vinaship… were the “dreamland” of many young people wishing to change their lives, now, Vinalines’ crew members are mainly old people. Even recently, a number of recruitment agencies in the positions of mechanics and service crew could not find candidates, “said Mr. Duong. .
A representative of Tan Dai Duong Shipping Investment Joint Stock Company said that currently, the market for “hired” seafarers for foreign ships is quite active. Some European ships are paying quite attractive salaries with the title of 2nd Deputy is 2,200 USD/month, 3rd Deputy is 2,000 USD/month. “For AB-level sailors, most ship owners are paying from 800-900 USD/person/month. Some Vietnamese ship owners also raised the salary for AB sailors from 10-12 million/month to 12-14 million. /month. However, Vietnam’s AB-level sailors are very lacking,” he said.
According to Mr. Vu Khang Cuong, crew members are “indifferent” to the current profession due to many reasons. In which, workers, especially young people, have many job options with better income than seafaring – a profession that is often away from home and has to cope with waves and winds.
“The negative feedback about the status of salary debt, “running out” of wages along with the fragmented and unprofessional management methods of some ship owners also makes workers depressed and dissatisfied. Currently, the State’s policy has almost no special incentives to motivate workers,” said Mr. Cuong.
Crew members will enjoy special benefits in terms of salary and bonus
Mr. Vu Khang Cuong said that recently, the President signed an Order to promulgate the Labor Code (amended) passed by the XIV National Assembly at its 8th Session. This is the first Code regulating employees. Working in the maritime sector is classified in the group of special occupations, and is entitled to a number of appropriate regimes in terms of training, labor contract, salary, and working hours. “This is an important premise for functional levels and businesses to research and propose appropriate policies to the Government to “revive” maritime human resources in general and seafarers in particular,” said Mr. Cuong.
According to Mr. Cuong, in the coming time, the Vietnam Maritime Administration will study and consult with authorities on the regulation of the minimum wage on the basis of reference to the minimum salary of seafarers of the ITF (International Transport Worker’s Federation). ). “However, the regulation of the minimum wage may greatly affect the operation of enterprises. Therefore, this issue will be carefully considered before proposing to the competent authorities,” Mr. Cuong said. good.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Que Duong said that if the maritime sector is classified as a specific industry, the relevant regimes also need to be considered and adjusted in the direction of priority. Typically, social insurance (social insurance) and medical insurance (health insurance) of seafarers. According to regulations, a seafarer’s time at sea in a year is only from 8-10 months, 2-4 months on ashore without salary, meaning no social insurance contributions. Due to the almost non-existent continuity in insurance contributions, very few seafarers are eligible for the insurance period to receive pensions (except for crew members on the payroll of large companies).
Compulsory health insurance is also costly for seafarers when most of the year, seafarers work at sea and do not use medical services onshore. The seafarers who reserve ashore are not supported by health insurance because they do not have a salary. “Functional levels should soon have a policy of taking 10 months of social insurance payment (with income) of seafarers equally divided among 12 months of the year and giving priority to seafarers who do not have to buy compulsory health insurance to avoid additional costs, encourage Seafarers are attached to the profession,” suggested Mr. Duong.
Source: Traffic Newspaper
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