Seafarers’ safety must be enhanced in Red Sea, shipping industry says
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The Houthis are holding 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader, which was hijacked by the militant group on Nov 19.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Countries in the Red Sea region need to enhance security to protect seafarers at risk as attacks on merchant shipping worsen, industry officials said on Jan 18.
Attacks on ships by Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi militia
Seafarers are innocent victims, Mr Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of the United Nations’ International Maritime Organisation, said in a meeting with shipping industry officials on Jan 18, adding that freedom of navigation must be upheld to guarantee the flow of goods by sea.
Mr Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the leading union organisation for seafarers, said the body is “very concerned” and that “seafarers’ safety must be the No. 1 priority”.
The Houthis are holding 25 crew members from the Galaxy Leader vessel, which was hijacked by the militant group on Nov 19.
Mr Cotton said the Galaxy Leader’s crew must be unconditionally released.
In a positive step, the Indian Navy said on Jan 18 it had rescued the crew of a United States-owned vessel in the Gulf of Aden after a Houthi attack.
In December 2023, areas deemed war-like and high-risk were extended into the southern area of the Red Sea as part of negotiated arrangements between seafarers and commercial shipping companies, known as the International Bargaining Forum (IBF).
Lawyers said the measure increased protection for seafarers.
“This designation triggers increased costs for shipowners, as seafarers covered by IBF agreements are entitled to double their basic pay, along with double compensation for death or disability,” Mr David Ashmore, an employment lawyer at global law firm Reed Smith, said.
Some 12 per cent of global trade is estimated to pass through the Red Sea. REUTERS
