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INSIDE

The Vietnamese SeafarersUpgrading Project (VSUP)Management Committeeconvened its 40th meetingJune 2, while the 19th com-mencement and 20thmatriculation ceremonieswere held in Ho Chi MinhCity on June 3 and inHaiphong on June 4, respec-tively.

During the meeting, a Viet-namese member of the com-mittee in charge of providingEnglish language lessons toVietnamese seamen said theproject has received goodresponse from the shippingindustry because it con-tributes significantly toimproving the quality of localseamen.

Furthermore, he said that

the project should be main-tained in order to continuethe development of the localshipping sector.

As such, the committeedecided to extend the projectfor two additional yearsfrom December 2008, andbegan talks to considerincluding other languages aswell.

Some 40 members of theJapanese and Vietnamesemaritime industries attendedthe 19th commencement and20th matriculation cere-monies in the two cities tocongratulate the 60 gradu-ates and 60 new students.

Some of the many voicingtheir opinions said that if theVietnamese economy is tocontinue growing, the Viet-

namese fleet must beexpanded and the local ship-ping industry maintainedand developed. In order to doso, however, they agreedthat the nation must secureand train highly capable sea-men.

All Japan Seamen’s Union(JSU) President Yoji Fuji-sawa said he would like tocontinue to support the cre-ation of more opportunitiesfor Vietnamese seamen towork onboard Japanese com-mercial vessels.

VSUP committeeholds 40th meeting

Capt. Yoji Fujisawa, President of All Japan Seamen’s Union andMs. Do Hong Phan, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’sUnion, present diplomas to students.

Ten guests from Japanand 23 from China attend-ed the 11th commence-ment and 12th matricula-tion ceremonies in Tianjinon June 11 for 39 stu-dents, both graduating andnew.

All Japan Seamen’sUnion (JSU) President YojiFujisawa presented a onemillion yen donation toPresident Li Tieqiao of theNational Committee ofChinese Seaman & Con-struction Workers Union(CSU) for victims of therecent earthquake inSichuan province.

President Li thankedPresident Fujisawa andpresented him with a cer-tificate of appreciation.

In the afternoon of thesame day, JSU PresidentFujisawa and CSU Presi-dent Li, who had justassumed his new post,held a summit meeting atthe Ocean Hotel Tianjinto discuss the challengesof ongoing projects andpossible solutions.

They agreed to developa system in which Chineseseamen could be em-ployed onboard Japanesecommercial vessels tohelp offset manning short-ages at Japanese shippingcompanies.

Other than the projectsbeing carried out in Tian-jin, an agreement wasreached on the plannedestablishment of a generaltraining and educationcenter in Dalian, wherethe curriculum would notonly include English les-sons, but also requiredmarine training and ship-management duties forChinese seamen workingonboard Japanese ships.

The union leaders alsodecided to promote thedevelopment of humanresources in order to dealwith demand for seamenby the Japanese commer-cial fleet.

JSU attendsceremoniesin Tianjin

The International Trans-port Workers’ Federation(ITF) convened meetings ofits Seafarers’ Section andFair Practices committeesfrom June 14 to 19 in Stock-holm, Sweden.

At the Seafarers’ SectionCommittee and Conferenceopinions were exchanged onthe current state of the Inter-national Labor Organization(ILO) and the InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO)as well as general issues inthe shipping industry.

Discussions were held onthe vigorous efforts beingmade to combat piracy offSomalia, Nigeria and in otherparts of the world. In addi-tion, the need to providetraining and educationtoward improvements in thequality and number of sea-men was also discussed.

After discussions and theexchange of opinions, a reso-lution was unanimouslyadopted.

The ITF revealed it hadlaunched a new system aspart of organizational reformsin its maritime affairs andport/harbor sector, underwhich the seamen, port andharbor, fishery and overlandwater transport divisions, inaddition to the agreementteam and other organizationsare now placed under Mar-itime Coordinator Steve Cot-ton.

It was confirmed that theITF would continue to holdcampaigns, focusing on thefollowing six initiatives –responses to ILO and IMO

developments; the IMO andminimum number of crew-men; the maintenance of sea-farer capabilities; crimes com-mitted by seamen and fairtreatment; safety and health;and global organization.

As for ratings from devel-oped economies (DERs), theITF secretariat announcedthat it had established anadministration committeeconsisting of the maritimecoordinator as well as theleaders and sub-leaders of theSeafarers’ and Dockers’ sec-tions, and developed a draft

of regulations. It also introduced members

of advisory committees inEurope and Asia.

The secretariat went on tocall for attendees to makecomments on the draft.

At the Fair Practices Com-mittee Steering Group (FPCSG) and the Fair PracticesCommittee (FPC), review ofthe FOC campaign was con-ducted. Discussions havebeen held on domestic andinternational laws concernedwith it in accordance with aprecedent set for Viking Line,

and opinions were obtainedfrom affiliated unions onimportant matters regardingthe campaign.

It was also confirmed thatthe working committee wouldreview the FOC campaign,including roles and the effec-tive deployment of ITF coordi-nators and would compile aninterim report on discussions.

Reports given during themeetings between the Sea-farers’ and Dockworkers’sections, including a motion

Continued on Page 2

Seafarers’ Section, Fair Practices committees meet at ITF

The FPC meeting room. Inset: the JSU delegation led by President Yoji Fujisawa at the FPC meet-ing.

(2) JULY/AUGUST 2008MARITIME NEWS/WARNINGS

The National Labor Rela-tions Commission (NLRC)has applied the resolution inthe previous Crystal Ship-ping case issued in Febru-ary last year, to its threelatest decisions that ruledthat disability is not mea-sured “in terms of numberof days but by gradingsonly.”

The Philippine Labor Codestates that a disability last-ing continuously for morethan 120 days should be con-sidered “total and perma-nent disability.”

In the Crystal Shipping(October 2005) and Remigio(April 2006) cases, thePhilippine Supreme Courtruled that seafarers are sub-ject to the Labor Code con-cept of permanent disability.

Therefore, in each of thesecases, seafarers who wereunable to perform their cus-

tomary work for more than120 days were awarded themaximum compensation forpermanent disability ofUS$60,000.

In February 2007, theSupreme Court issued a res-olution that clarified thatmedical assessment, ratherthan the number of days ofincapacity should determinethe degree of disability inPOEA claims.

The London SteamshipMutual P&I Club on its Website said that as Del Rosario& Del Rosario have reportedthree recent NLRC decisionswhich correctly follow theSupreme Court’s resolution,the law firm remains “hope-ful that future awards underthe POEA will apply consis-tently the medical gradingsevaluated under the seafar-ers’ employment terms.”(Source: Balitang Marino)

Disability should bemeasured in grades,not days: NLRC

IMO Secretary-General EfthimiosE. Mitropoulos haswelcomed theUnited NationsSecurity Council’sadoption of a reso-lution authorizinga series of decisivemeasures to com-bat acts of piracyand armed rob-bery against ves-sels off the coast ofSomalia.

Under the termsof Resolution 1816 (2008),which was adopted unani-mously, the Security Councildecided that, following receiptof a letter from Somalia to thePresident of the UN SecurityCouncil giving the consent ofSomalia’s Transitional Feder-al Government (TFG), statescooperating with the TFGwould be allowed, for a periodof six months, to enter thecountry’s territorial watersand use “all necessarymeans” to repress acts of

piracy and armedrobbery at sea, in amanner consistentwith relevant pro-visions of interna-tional law.

This latest movecomes after morethan two years ofintensive effort bythe IMO to bringthis matter to theattention of theSecurity Counciland to urge con-certed action, cul-

minating in the adoption, lastNovember, of a second IMOAssembly resolution on thesubject.

In welcoming the SecurityCouncil resolution, Mitropou-los said that firm action wasneeded, since the current sit-uation was stifling the flow ofmuch-needed aid to the peo-ple of Somalia, jeopardizingthe lives of innocent seafar-ers, fishers and passengers,and adversely affecting inter-national trade.

IMO praises UN’s adoptionof new anti-piracy resolution

The American P&I Club’smagazine, Currents, says thatthe global maritime manpow-er shortage is a “time bombthat threatens to disruptshipping operations severelyin the near future.”

Former mariner RichardGayton who is the principalsurveyor at ShipownersClaims Bureau Inc., the club’smanagering group, empha-sizes the importance of retain-ing good crew. Meanwhile,the shipping industry is nowlooking to China to fulfill itscrewing needs for the future.

Chinese sources indicatethat owners and crewingagencies are targeting theinland provinces to recruit,and some of the larger compa-nies are headquartering their

manning bases in theseinland areas. These are rela-tively poor and the salariesoffered are still attractive toyounger people. According tothe Shanghai office of theAmerican Club’s managers,quoting the Ministry of Com-munications, China has themost populous crew force inthe world. At the end of 2006,there were 1.5 millioncrewmembers working on ves-sels, including 510,000 onseagoing vessels.

The P&I market, saysCapt. Gayton, is also con-cerned about the impendingshortage of experienced, well-trained officers. The IMO hasrecently been under pressureto address training concerns,and currently has its Stan-

dards of Training, Certifica-tion and Watchkeeping 95convention under review.“However, these standardsare minimum ones and actualtraining programs worldwidediffer significantly.”

Gayton asserts that thisworsening crisis can only beavoided if extraordinary mea-sures are taken now. “A cul-ture of safety and operationalintegrity needs to be promot-ed, and the shipowner mustfocus on recruitment, trainingand retention programs if anyprogress is to be made.

“If these immediate goalsare not met, then owners willinevitably face significantlyincreased insurance premi-ums as the industry strugglesto keep pace with claims.”

U.S. P&I calls manpower shortage a ‘time bomb’

Japan and the UnitedStates have agreed to intro-duce a cargo-screening sys-tem at Yokohama port todetect radioactive materials,according to a U.S. govern-ment source. The two gov-ernments have been dis-cussing Japan’s participationin the U.S. MegaPorts Initia-tive to screen U.S.-boundcargo for radioactive materi-als to help block nuclear ter-rorist attacks in the UnitedStates.

The Bush administrationsees Japan’s participation inthe initiative, led by the U.S.National Nuclear Security

Administration (NNSA), asimperative given that thecountry is a hub for Asia andstarted urging Tokyo twoyears ago to join the screen-ing network. The UnitedStates values the agreementas a big step in bilateral coop-eration and wants to deepencooperation in the fightagainst nuclear terrorism,the source said, adding thetwo governments have agreedto set up equipment in Yoko-hama to detect radioactivematerials in a bid to preventsmuggling of fissile materialssuch as plutonium.

Japan will purchase the

equipment from the UnitedStates, and the NNSA willprovide technical assistance,with screening informationshared by the two countries,the source said. Cargo export-ed to the United States aswell as shipments importedinto Japan will be screened.

The MegaPorts Initiative ispart of the United States’efforts to prevent the inflowof nuclear materials by tight-ening cargo inspections at theports of exporter countries.Screenings are currentlybeing conducted in 12 coun-tries. (Source: Japan Times July1, 2008)

Japan, U.S. to set up new radioactivescreening system at Yokohama port

E very year, as we celebrate MarineDay, JSU’s various branches cometogether to join in on activities

aimed at cleaning up the beaches and thesea. The picture above is of JSU staff fromthe Kansai Regional Branch led by its chief,Nagaoki Okamoto.

They cleaned up Suma Beach in Kobe,before its opening to the public.

The JSU calls on all seafarers to help pro-tect the sea and make it pollution-free forthe benefit of everybody.

This year, as Japan celebrates MarineDay, we encourage everybody, especially allJSU members, to contribute to the better-ment of the environment and the sea, notonly on Marine Day, but throughout theentire year. (ISS Ernesto Quijano)

JSU MAKES BEACH SHIPSHAPE

Continued from Page 1

made by the JSU, were approved unanimously. Also approved were a list of agreements set forth by the ITF

for fiscal 2008, reports on inspections made by ITF inspectorsin fiscal 2007 and a financial report on the ITF’s welfare andbenefits.

Five shipping companies, including Japan’s Dowa Line,were confirmed as future campaign targets, and agreementwas reached to make relevant efforts.

During the meetings, ITF executives held high-level meet-ings with the leaders and sub-leaders of the Seafarers’ andDockworkers’ sections, exchanging views on future ITF activi-ties after the global assembly in 2010. (See resolutions on page 4)

Mitropoulos

(3)JULY/AUGUST 2008 SEAFARERS’ CORNER

VOICES from SEAFARERS

Crewmembers of M/V ATLANTIC ERICA

We salute the JSU! In our minds the JSU is the real union toprotect our rights. We look forward to your continued mission toorganize more seafarers. More Power!!!

Capt. Herminio Las Pinas and C/E Edralyn Anciro of M/V CAPE OLIVE

With the shortage of seafarers now, the young ratingsshould strive to become officers by taking the examinationwhen they have the chance. We thank the JSU for the supportin the advancement of Filipino seafarers. The computers forthe walk-in examination is a big help to the seafarers.

Pearl Harvest

An elderly couple was on acruise ship on a stormy night.They were standing on theback of the ship watching themoon, when a big wave cameup and washed the oldwoman overboard. Theysearched for days but could-n’t find her, so the captainsent the old man back toshore with the promise thathe would notify him as soonas they found something.

Three weeks went by andfinally the old man got a faxfrom the ship.

It read: Sir, we regret toinform you that we found yourwife dead at the bottom of thesea. We hauled her up to thedeck and attached to her buttwas an oyster. Inside it was apearl worth $50,000. Pleaseadvise…

Captain

The old man faxed back:Send me the pearl and re-baitthe trap.

Source: Jokequeen

JOKE CORNER

Controlling your temper isn’talways easy. But these effec-tive anger management tech-

niques will help give you the upperhand.

If your outbursts, rages or bullyingare negatively affecting relation-ships with family, friends, co-work-ers and even complete strangers, it’stime to change the way you expressyour anger. You can take steps onyour own to improve your angermanagement.

Here are some anger managementtips to help get your anger undercontrol:

• Take a “time out.” Although itmay seem cliché, counting to 10before reacting, or leaving the situa-tion altogether, can really defuseyour temper.

• Do something physically exert-ing. Physical activity can provide anoutlet for your emotions, especially ifyou’re about to erupt. Go for a briskwalk or a run, swim, lift weights orshoot baskets.

• Find ways to calm and sootheyourself. Practice deep-breathingexercises, visualize a relaxing scene,or repeat a calming word or phraseto yourself, such as “take it easy.”You can also listen to music, paint,write in a journal or do yoga.

• Once you’re calm, express youranger as soon as possible so thatyou aren’t left stewing. If you sim-ply can’t express your anger in acontrolled manner to the personwho angered you, try talking to ashipmate, friend, counselor oranother trusted person.

• Think carefully before you sayanything so that you don’t end upsaying something you’ll regret.Write a script and rehearse it sothat you can stick to the issues.

• Work with the person whoangered you to identify solutions tothe situation.

• Use “I” statements whendescribing the problem to avoidcriticizing or placing blame. Forinstance, say “I’m upset you didn’t

help with the shipwork thisevening,” instead of, “You shouldhave helped with the shipwork.” Todo otherwise will likely upset theother person and escalate tensions.

• Don’t hold a grudge. Forgive theother person. It’s unrealistic toexpect everyone to behave exactlyas you want.

• Use humor to release tensions,such as imagining yourself or theother person in silly situations.Don’t use sarcasm, though – it’sjust another form of unhealthyexpression.

• Keep an anger log to identifythe kinds of situations that set youoff and to monitor your reactions.

• Practice relaxation skills.Learning skills to relax and de-stress can also help control yourtemper when it may flare up.

It may take some time andintense effort to put these tips intopractice when you’re facing situa-tions that typically send you into arage. In the heat of the moment, it

can be hard to remember your cop-ing strategies.

You may need to keep somethingwith you that serves as a reminderto step back from the situation inorder to get your anger under con-trol. For instance, you may wantto keep a small, smooth stone inyour pocket or a scrap of paperwith your tips written down.

With due diligence, these angermanagement techniques will comemore naturally and you’ll nolonger need such reminders.

You can practice many of theseanger management strategies onyour own. But if your angerseems out of control, is hurtingyour relationships or has escalat-ed into violence, you may benefitfrom seeing a psychotherapist oran anger management profession-al.

Role-playing in controlled situa-tions, such as anger managementclasses, can help you practice yourtechniques. (Source: NetDoc)

Make effort to manage your anger

I hope that the JSU conti-nues to widen its activities andsupport for its members. Iadvise everybody to save andbe wise in spending their hard-earned wages. Take good careof yourselves, maintain yourgood habits and health.

Messman Cristian PlatonM/V RAKIURA MARU

Crewmembers of M/V KOHO

We thank the JSU for providing us reading material, unionupdates, and news regarding the shipping industry. Your regu-lar visitation is a big encouragement to us.

There is a theory whichstates that if anybody discov-ers exactly what the universeis for and why it is here, itwill instantly disappear andbe replaced by somethingeven more bizarre and inex-plicable.

There is another theorywhich states that this hasalready happened.

– Douglas Adams –1952-2001

British author, comedian andmusician

I would like to encourageall Filipino seafarers towork hard for the benefitof the Philippine manningindustry, as well as for theJapanese shipowners.

Capt. Arturo V. PlazaM/V Trans Pacific 8

Ships entering the territori-al waters of GCC states willhave to strictly comply withinternational pollution stan-dards starting from nextmonth. The new rule comes inthe wake of the InternationalMaritime Organization’s(IMO) decision to list Qatar,Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait,Oman, Saudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates (UAE)in its “special area.”

The IMO’s decision to listthe Gulf area in the specialcategory is in line with theMARPOL Convention (Inter-national convention coveringprevention of pollution fromships 1973\78) that envis-aged combating marine pol-

lution in coastal waters. A meeting of GCC environ-

ment ministers called on allmember countries to ensurethat they strictly adhere tothe international and region-al guidelines to keep theirterritorial waters pollution-free.

The GCC ministers’ meet-ing ratified the more than 40Green Initiatives identifiedat the Doha meeting in 2007.

Delivering the openingaddress, Qatar’s Minister ofEnvironment, H E Abdullahbin Mubarak bin Aaboud AlMidhadhi, said the emergingecological challenges couldnot be combated by individ-ual countries in the region.

He stressed the need for themember countries to strictlyfollow national and interna-tional guidelines for protect-ing the environment.

GCC Secretary-General HE Abdulrahman bin HamadAl Attiyah, said each mem-ber in the GCC was a signa-tory to the MARPOL conven-tion and some of them hadalready honored their com-mitments regarding the Con-vention. He urged the mem-bers to honor other regula-tions related to a series ofjoint environmental actionprograms, including those onradiation and nuclear risks.

The ministers also dis-cussed a series of regional and

international conventions onthe environment, includingthe United Nations Frame-work Convention on ClimateChange, the Convention onpreservation of wildlife andnatural habitats in the region,Vienna Convention for theProtection of the Ozone Layerand the Montreal Protocol.

With regards to the GCCGreen Initiatives, it wasdecided at the meeting toimplement nine “high priori-ty” projects in a year. Thenext set of 12 projects will beimplemented the followingyear. The GCC environmentministers will hold their nextmeeting in Oman. (Source:Shiptalk)

(4) JULY/AUGUST 2008INFORMATION/ADVISORIES

ALL JAPAN SEAMEN’S UNION

15-26, Roppongi 7-Chome,Minato-Ku, Tokyo 106-0032

Tel.: (03) 5410-8320Fax: (03) 5410-8336E-mail: iss@jsu.jpInternet: http://www.jsu.or.jp

Publisher: Takashi Miyake

Send inquiries to the attentionof Mr. Masanobu Makizoe,Director, Foreign Trades Dept.

By Bayani A. Jaboli JSU Union Officer

Sexual harassment hap-pens not only in land-basedworkplaces but also onboardships, although such casesare seldom reported. Mostships are still manned by all-male seafarers, which maybe the reason why few sexualharassment incidents arecommitted (or reported).

However, it is commonknowledge that sexualharassment does happenonboard. Recently, one of ourISS received a call for assis-tance related to sexualharassment, which we hope,will be a case study not onlyfor the union but for compa-nies as well.

But first let us understandwhat constitutes sexualharassment.

Question: What is sexual

harassment in the work-place?

Answer: The Equal Em-ployment Office, Ministry ofHealth, Labor and Welfare(Government of Japan) refersto sexual harassment as con-ducting sexual remarks andbehaviors against a worker’swill, the refusal of which maycause disadvantage inhis/her working conditionssuch as dismissal, demotionand pay cut, and/or whichleads to serious negativeeffect on his/her workingcapacity due to the unpleas-ant environment caused bysuch harassment.

Sexual harassment in-cludes:

• Enforcement of sexualrelationship

• Unnecessary physicalcontact

• Sexual jokes and kidding• Deliberate circulation of

sexual rumor• Distribution of indecent

pictures• Asking questions about

your sexual life• Persistent invitation to

meals and dates

What to do if you aresexually harassed.

Rejection is important.If you are sexually harassedand feel unpleasant, it isimportant that you manifestthe intention of rejection,indicating to the harasserthat it is sexual harassment.Patience and ignorance maymake the matter worse.

Contact your union oryour company. Do not try tosolve the problem alone. Con-sult immediately with theother officers onboard to fig-ure out the necessary actionsor consult either your compa-ny or the union to help you

solve the problem.Further, if you are sexually

harassed, it may help you torecord the specific situationsof harassment (such as thetime, the harasser and theplace of harassment, as wellas how you felt and whetherthere were other peoplearound, for later consultationand complaint purposes).

Related ISS report:Sometime in June, a call

from a rating-crewmemberwas received by one of ourISS assigned in Kobe, Japan.Apparently, an officer whowas under the influence ofalcohol offered the ratingmoney in exchange for sexualfavor, which the rating flatlyrejected.

However, after a few hoursthe officer summoned therating to his cabin andoffered the rating a drink.When the rating accepted the

drink, the officer touched therating’s private parts andoffered an amount of US$300a month for a sexual relation-ship. The rating againrefused and ran outside ofthe officer’s cabin.

Because of the rating’srejection of the offer, hisexpected promotion was notapproved and was alsoinformed that he will bereplaced upon arrival in thenext port since he hasalready served 8 monthsonboard and could be consid-ered to have completed hiscontract.

The JSU, alarmed by thisforbidding action of an offi-cer, informed the ship’s com-pany immediately. The com-pany promised to dismiss theofficer, who has been onboardfor five months, upon theship’s arrival at the nextport.

Understanding, dealing with sexual harassment

Mandatory carriage ofECDIS will become a reali-ty, following agreementsreached at the Nav 54 meet-ing at the InternationalMaritime Organization(IMO) on July 2.

The precise wording of theproposed amendments toSolas remains to be workedout but the main pointshave been agreed upon as arecommendation to MSC 85later in the year.

The industry is beinggiven a long lead time to getused to the idea of ECDIScarriage, with the effectivedate being July 1, 2012.

All new passenger shipsof 500 g/t and above, andtankers of 3,000 g/t andabove built for internationalvoyages will be required tocarry ECDIS.

The precise details of theship categories and exemp-tions are still beingresolved, but the Nav 54delegates were unanimousin their decision thatECDIS should becomemandatory. (Source: IMO)

IMO agrees tomake ECDIS carriage rule

Pollution standards to affect ships entering GCC waters

RESOLUTIONS FROM ITF’S SEAFARERS’ SECTION CONFERENCE

There was a motion seeking to establish andorganize an ITF (International Transport Work-ers’ Federation) Seafarers’ ad-hoc process toexchange information, data, know-how and tech-nology for the professional career development ofseafarers.

The Seafarers’ Section Conference at its meet-ing in Stockholm on June 16-17, 2008,

ACKNOWLEDGES the continuing criticalshortage of marine officers and skilled ratings,which the 2005 BIMCO/ISF Manpower UpdateReport estimated to reach 27,000 officers by theyear 2015;

CONSIDERS that competent and professionalseafarers from all regions, whether officers or rat-ings, in recognition of the physical demands andthe technical nature of their work, should be con-stantly developed;

BELIEVES that the seafaring profession mustoffer clear and effective ways for career advance-ment, to be able to harness this tremendoushuman resource potential through proper educa-tion, training, licensing and certification;

NOTES that one of the concerns regardingseafarers’ education and training was the need toincrease the sharing of information about seafar-er matters;

FURTHER NOTES the need to increase theMaritime industry’s ability to retain seafarersfrom all regions;

CALLS UPON the ITF Secretariat to examinecost effective means to collect and disseminateinformation on the recruitment, retention, short-age and career paths of seafarers and to takesteps to develop a strategy to respond to thisissue.

* * *ITF’s Seafarers’ Section Conference in Stock-

holm, held on June 16-17, 2008,NOTES with concern the trend toward

increased use of violence by pirates and otherassailants in attacks against merchant ships inpiracy hotspots worldwide and in particular,Somalia and Nigeria;

BELIEVES there is sufficient evidence to war-rant a conclusion that piracy, armed robbery andterrorist attacks against merchant ships are phe-nomena that are frequently linked and perpe-trated by organizations with links to govern-ments, or with political objectives, and which con-sequently warrant consideration within theambit of structures established to consider issuesrelating to the declaration of areas of warlikeoperations or war zones;

NOTES also that the insurance and P&Iindustries are in the process of adapting the cov-erage they provide to the shipping industry totake account of these developments, which isindicative that they too appear to concur thatpiracy, armed robbery and terrorist attacks

against merchant vessels are risks similar tothose posed by warlike operations;

BELIEVES that existing national structureshave proved incapable of dealing with the newreality and often appear unable and unwilling toconsider risks in an objective way and haveshown themselves incapable of taking the neededdecisions to protect seafarers for fear of beingcriticized by the wider maritime industry;

CONSIDERS it is therefore time that an inter-national forum be created to act as a focal pointfor discussions and information exchange aboutthreats to seafarers emanating from piracy,armed robbery, terrorism and warlike operationsand to coordinate a worldwide shipping industryresponse;

URGES the ITF to enter into discussions withinternational shipowner organizations to achievethat objective with the aim of disseminatingappropriate advice and measures to protect sea-farers and, on the basis of jointly agreed objectivecriteria, declaring areas of warlike operations asdeemed appropriate;

FURTHERMORE, in the absence of progres-sive engagement with international shipownerrepresentatives, urges the ITF to declare piracyhotspots, and areas where attacks against mer-chant ships and seafarers are prevalent or therisk of attack is determined to be high, as “war-like operations areas.”