Will Rotterdam be next to turn its back on safety?

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by Frank Leys

Rotterdam in the Netherlands has joined the growing list of ports worldwide now allowing or planning to allow the crews of visiting ships to lash and secure containers. The authorities are willing to regulate some lashing by the traditional lashing gangs of dockers. However this exception will apply only to container vessels - an intriguing stipulation since these are the vessels with larger, less over-stretched crews.

We at the ITF remain convinced that all lashing and securing of cargo should be done by shore based, registered and well trained lashing gangs.

Seafarers in general, and in particular those on smaller vessels - plying short sea routes with more limited crews, and fewer, shorter rest periods - are subject to fatigue. They are taking on an increasing number of tasks in order to guarantee the commercial exploitation of the vessel. Faster turnaround times and new security restrictions have limited their access to shore leave and the welfare facilities provided for seafarers in the ports. At the same time there are a growing number of duties, both physical and administrative, related to the safety of the ship.

Yet fatigue itself is a serious safety issue. Vessels should be sufficiently manned to avoid the need for crews to work excessive hours.

Once in port, a ship's crew might have to deal with port authorities, customs officers, immigration officers, the flag state surveyor, the class surveyor, port state control, the ship chandler (person selling provisions to the ship) and so on. The 2004 International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code makes officers and crew responsible for ensuring that the ship complies with security in port, for which different watches at the gangway have to be maintained.

There is a special European directive (Directive 1999/95/EC ) governing the working hours of seafarers on board ships calling at EU ports. Yet now, on top of the daunting list of tasks outlined above, it is argued that seafarers calling at Rotterdam should be lashing and securing containers. We strongly oppose this point of view, which will compromise maritime safety by putting commercial interests first.

Frank Leys is the ITF Dockers' Section Secretary

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Issue 18 January 2005

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