By Mohamed Fofanah.
Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) in collaboration with the Seafarers’ Union on Friday commemorated World Seafarers’ Day under the theme “Rights and Protection of Seafarers.”
The welfare and safety of Seafarers are governed by several international legal instruments including the International Labour Organization convention; standard of training certification and watch-keeping (STCW); Maritime Labour convention and the safety of life at sea (SOLAS) convention, according to the Senior Shipping Manager at SLMA.
Speaking at Maritime House, Government Wharf in Freetown, Ronald N. Moore announced that Sierra Leone has ratified all these conventions although the country continues to face challenges in domesticating them.
Moore stressed that the benefits of domesticating the STCW convention would be enormous for the country as it would be the first step taking Sierra Leone’s flag to the ‘Whitelist’ as more quality ships would be attracted to the flag, which is expected to subsequently provide employment opportunities for citizens.
He said SLMA has placed premium on developing the Sierra Leonean seafarers as a potential youth employment arena, describing seafarers as selfless people who sacrifice their families and social lives for months while facing the perils of sea and the health hazards it poses to them.
Despite Sierra Leone’s long involvement in seafaring, it was the first time that seafarers had been recognized in the country, Tejan Savage, the Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Seafarers’ Union said, “Seafaring is not new in our society… Sierra Leone started sailing even when coals were used on the ships to move them in the sea,” he added.
He said the marine industry has been plagued with numerous problems, with some being seafarers’ own making. He added that this is because of the absence of appropriate regulation, guidelines and recommendations for the industry.
Meanwhile, Savage said he would be looking forward to the Government through the Maritime Administration to regulate the industry properly so that the sector could benefit from its International Maritime Organization membership.
