BIMCO warns that rescuing migrants at sea remains a health, safety and security risk for seafarers
Overview
BIMCO has stated today that it appreciates the new efforts by EU leaders to reduce increasing reliance on merchant shipping to rescue the growing numbers of distressed migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
BIMCO has stated today that it appreciates the new efforts by EU leaders to reduce increasing reliance on merchant shipping to rescue the growing numbers of distressed migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.
BIMCO welcomed the announcement last night (23 April), that the funding of Operation Triton will be increased to match that previously allocated to Operation Mare Nostrum. It also welcomed the contribution of extra ships, planes and helicopters that many countries will make to assist with the search and rescue capabilities of the region.
Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General at BIMCO, said:
“The shipping industry has recently highlighted the risks to the health, safety and security of seafarers who assist distressed migrants in increasingly large numbers.
“Merchant ships are ill-equipped to deal with large-scale rescue operations involving many hundreds of migrants and it may compromise the safety of those onboard as well as those who they attempt to rescue.
“The long term problem of huge migratory flow in the Mediterranean has led to a humanitarian crisis at sea that merchant shipping is not equipped to handle. Migration is an issue for nations to resolve.
“The industry had called for an expansion of the geographical scope of Operation Triton to include areas where migrants are most likely to be found before they get into serious difficulty. This does not yet seem to have been addressed.
“We realise that the issue of migration will not be resolved by these step changes alone. This is why BIMCO will continue to give practical advice to Shipmasters on how to effectively deal with calls for search and rescue assistance.”
Ends
For more details, please contact Gemma Wilkie, Communications Director at BIMCO on (Direct) +45 4436 6836, (Mobile) +45 2442 9781 or gw@bimco.org.
Notes to editors
BIMCO
- BIMCO is the world’s largest international shipping association, with 2,300 members in around 130 countries.
- Our members represent around 2/3 of the world’s commercial fleet.
- We provide a wide range of services to our global membership – which includes shipowners, operators, managers, brokers and agents.
- BIMCO’s core objective is to facilitate the commercial operations of our members by developing standard contracts and clauses, and providing quality information, advice and education.
- BIMCO promotes fair business practices, free trade and open access to markets and we are a strong advocate for the harmonisation and standardisation of all shipping related activity.
- BIMCO actively promotes the application of globally agreed regulatory instruments – we are accredited as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) with all relevant United Nations agencies and other regulatory entities.
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Posted:
24 April 2015
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