The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has spoken out against the recent arrest of members of the Wakashio crew following the grounding of the Japanese-owned vessel along the Mauritius coast last week.
Chair of the ITF’s seafarers’ section, David Heindel, said authorities and the public should not rush to blame the crew, but instead a proper investigation was needed to take full account of contributing factors, including allegations that some of the ship’s crew were working beyond legal maximums.
“Whilst we await the outcome of the investigation, it is disturbing to read news of the arrest of the captain, Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar, who is from India, as well as the ship's first officer.
“Like the rest of the global community, we are worried for the marine environment of Mauritius and its fragile ecosystem, currently under threat by advancing oil. But anger for this tragedy is better directed at the factors which lead to such incidents, rather than the people who happen to be in the hot seat at the time the accident occurs.”
He said it had been reported that most of the crew on the Wakashio had been kept on board beyond their normal contractual terms. “While it would be premature to speculate on the findings of ongoing investigations, it is appropriate to remember that during the present crew change crisis we have warned of the threat to human life, property and the environment from an increasingly tired and fatigued global seafaring workforce.”
He said many of the governments rushing to condemn the industry for this incident were the same governments that had turned a blind eye to the humanitarian disaster that may very well have caused the event in the first place.
“Governments cannot have it both ways; if they are concerned about the accidents that may result from a tired and fatigued workforce, then they must be concerned about getting those seafarers off and replaced with a fresh crew.
“The tragedy of the Wakashio, its crew and the Mauritian people and environment is a reminder to us all of what can happen when tired and fatigued humans are expected to keep working indefinitely. It is not sustainable or acceptable to have seafarers continue working to the detriment of their health and mental wellbeing - mistakes will happen.”
