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Maritime workers assist in Haiti relief operations
29 January 2010
Around the world seafarers are playing a key role in helping with the relief effort in Haiti in the wake of the earthquake disaster which took place two weeks ago.
Among those helping to deliver aid to Haiti are seafarers represented by the UK affiliates Nautilus International and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT); members of US affiliates the Seafarers’ International Union (SIU), American Maritime Officers (AMO), Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association (MEBA) and the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots (MM&P) are also involved in the relief effort.
Nautilus and RMT members on board the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Largs Bay, due to be sent to Haiti at the request of the United Nations, will deliver relief supplies. It will be loaded with aid from the government and British and international charities, as well as with goods purchased with donations from the British public.
Largs Bay will sail by the end of January, and is expected to stay in the region for some weeks to help the UN ferry bulk supplies around small outlying ports in Haiti.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen union-crewed vessels from the US are involved in the official Operation Unified Response. Among them are the hospital ship USNS Comfort along with combination roll-on/roll-off containerships, a tanker and two crane ships. Mariners sailing aboard those vessels include members of the SIU, the AMO, the MEBA and the MM&P.
Dockers’ and aviation union members have been helping to load and unload vessels and aircraft.
Jon Whitlow, ITF seafarers' section secretary, said: "Seafarers are often out of sight and out of mind. Civil society does not appreciate their contribution to the global economy and how their ships bring food, fuels, and other commodities that people take for granted. They also play a crucial role when a disaster happens as the carrying capacity of ships is such that they can quickly make a real difference.”
The SIU has reactivated its seafarers’ disaster relief fund, partly in response to requests from members who wanted to donate money to assist the Haitian people. US maritime unions are also contributing to the The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations’ solidarity fund.
Last week, ITF general secretary David Cockroft urged unions to support the International Trade Union Confederation’s appeal fund for humanitarian assistance to Haiti; the federation had itself made a donation through its international solidarity fund.
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