"The Mediterranean is a Comfortable Sea" is a campaign launched by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and affiliated unions to remove substandard ships from the Mediterranean.
Flags of convenience (FOCs) are flags of countries with less stringent regulations that allow shipowners to register ships on more favourable terms, minimising costs by, for example, avoiding taxes, transfer pricing, avoiding trade unions, employing seafarers who are not domiciled, paying social security contributions to their crews, using seafarers who are not domiciled, and employing seafarers who are not domiciled, and/or passport holders at very low wage rates, not paying social security and social insurance contributions to their crews, using seafarers' labour to handle cargo, and avoiding strict compliance with safety and environmental standards.
Most of these vessels operate in the Mediterranean, which is why the campaign was launched. Thus, ITF inspectors in all Mediterranean countries conducted thorough inspections of all vessels flying the flags of the Cook Islands, Palau, Sierra Leone and Togo, which currently have the largest number of registered subprime vessels.
In particular, the living and working conditions on these vessels, which are on average over 40 years old, are below all standards. In addition, the vessels themselves pose an additional danger to the health of seafarers and especially to the environment and shipping in general.
These "flag of convenience" countries accept money from shipowners and allow the operation of non-conventional vessels that should not be operating at all.
In the last three years alone, ships flying the flags of the Cook Islands, Palau, Sierra Leone and Togo have been found to be operating under the convenience flags:
⁃ More than 30 cases of abandonment, when crews were left without pay, food, water and a way to get home;
⁃ US$5,500,000 in unpaid wages that the ITF had to claim from the owners of the flags on behalf of the crew;
⁃ more than 5,000 safety or environmental violations and detentions by authorities.
As the Union noted earlier, in 2020, the ITF launched a campaign to improve working and living conditions for seafarers on ships in the region.
The problem of subprime shipping in the Mediterranean region was first raised 16 years ago: the possibility of creating a separate collective agreement for this region was discussed. Unfortunately, no agreement was reached at that time, and a pro-forma agreement was never developed.
However, over the years, the situation has not changed for the better, but has only worsened.
The MTWTU calls on seafarers: before signing a contract, seek advice from the Union to check information about the vessel to protect yourself from an unpleasant surprise at its condition upon arrival on board!
