• IMO/ILO data and port state inspection records can be used to check shipping firms' performance on seafarer welfare
• Suzun Marine Fuels is rejecting 2.3% of enquiries on seafarer welfare grounds
• Bunker industry shows growing interest in engaging with this issue

Almost two million seafarers around the world too often face poor working conditions. File Image / Pixabay

While the bunker industry is growing increasingly sophisticated in its approach to sanctions compliance, there are those who argue it is neglecting another ethical issue: the welfare of seafarers on board the ships it supplies.

The workforce of almost two million seafarers around the world too often face working conditions that would not be tolerated in almost any other industry: crew abandonment, unpaid wages and insufficient provision of food and other supplies.

Databases are available showing the shipping firms with allegations of this kind of misconduct levelled against them. Bunker supplier Suzun Marine Fuels argues the bunker industry should be making better use of this data to ensure it is not working with firms whose ethical standards to not stand up to scrutiny.

“I have been on board vessels with human rights problems and working conditions problems and it is really awful,” Can Besev, CEO of Suzun Marine Fuels, told Ship & Bunker.

“Imagine being stuck on a ship which is like a floating tin shed; if it’s not maintained well, it’s a super dirty environment.

“They don’t have cleaning materials, they don’t have food, so they have to fish, and their families are going hungry because they don’t get paid.

“The working conditions are so bad because this is the easiest source of short-term finance for the very stressed shipowners.”

What Checks Can Be Carried Out?

Suzun made the commitment upon its launch earlier this year that it would not work with companies with a poor record on seafarer welfare.

The firm uses the International Maritime Organization’s and International Labor Organization’s Joint Database on Abandonment of Seafarers, as well as information from port state inspections, to check whether potential customers have had reports made against them of mistreatment of seafarers.

“It just takes time; it’s like a level to our compliance checks,” Besev said.

“The reason that we do this is because I think it’s a very important part of social responsibility.

“You wouldn’t supply food to a restaurant where slaves are working; you wouldn’t feel good about it.”

The number of customers rejected thus far is relatively low; Besev estimates the firm has turned down about 2.3% of its bunker enquiries so far this year on seafarer welfare grounds.

This number may also be significantly higher than that facing the general industry because of Suzun’s particular customer base. The firm focuses on truck-to-ship supply, usually to smaller vessels as a result.

“We’re in Turkey, in the Eastern Mediterranean, so maybe it is higher for us,” Besev said.

“It’s the smaller owners, and the older ships usually, that are more susceptible to this kind of stuff.

“The larger shipowners are usually much better.”

Increased Awareness

In the wider industry, the issue is one gradually taking greater prominence, in particular this year as awareness is growing of the poor conditions for seafarers stuck on board ships in the Gulf while conflict in the region prevents passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Bunker companies with a significant presence in the UK or Australia are required to publish modern slavery statements setting out their policies on safeguarding the welfare of workers in their supply chain.

World Fuel's, for example, carries the following statement:

“The WK Business Partner Code of Conduct requires that business partners conduct their activities in a manner that complies with applicable Modern Slavery Laws, including, but not limited to: refusing to use forced or child labour, refusing to tolerate discrimination, harassment, abuse, or retaliation in their work place; and providing wages, benefits, and working hours that meet or exceed the applicable legal standards and regulations.”

Mette Østerskov, group ESG and quality director at Bunker Holding, set out her firm’s position on how checks on customers are carried out.

“Bunker Holding takes seafarer welfare and human rights risks very seriously, particularly in light of heightened security risks affecting certain shipping routes,” Østerskov told Ship & Bunker.

“Our approach is anchored in our Human Rights Policy and integrated into our compliance and due diligence processes, including supplier assessments, relevant Know Your Supplier checks, and human rights training.

“We also support seafarer welfare initiatives through annual contributions to recognised maritime charitable organisations that provide emergency assistance, welfare services, and support to seafarers and maritime communities.

“We continue to monitor relevant risks and strengthen responsible business conduct across our value chain.”

The IMO is also showing a strong interest in improving seafarer welfare, and would welcome any attempts by the bunker industry to raise standards.

“All approaches to due diligence and protection of seafarer rights are welcomed,” a spokesperson for the UN body told Ship & Bunker.

“All approaches which put the seafarer first are welcome.”

During the COVID pandemic, the IMO issued a due diligence guide for maritime human rights. The spokesperson pointed to the following recommended measures from the guide as best practice:

• Ensure individual and collective action is taken to address concerns around seafarers’ rights, including using leverage to highlight concerns to Governments and maritime transport providers.
• Seek written assurance that no seafarers have been on board for a continuous period of more than the 11 months maximum period of service derived from the MLC, 2006.
• Verify with business partners that seafarers are not having to work beyond the expiration of their contracts without their willing consent, as to do so could be considered forced labour.
• Provide seafarers with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Verify with business partners that the cost of any quarantine obligations before or after joining the ship are not borne directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the seafarer.
• Abide by the legal obligation to grant seafarers access to medical care ashore, for instance by permitting diversions for the purpose of medical care.
• Use the IMO recommended framework of protocols to ensure safe crew changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as cascading this to any relevant partners.
• Accept route deviation requests from shipping companies for the purpose of facilitating crew changes, and relay this expectation to business partners.
• Verify that vessel operators are limiting any avoidable crew contract extensions.

Bunker industry body IBIA also backs the idea of the industry paying closer attention to seafarer welfare.

"Seafarers remain the lifeline of global trade and shipping," Alexander Prokopakis, executive director of IBIA, told Ship & Bunker.

"IBIA strongly supports initiatives that promote seafarer welfare and training, and we believe this responsibility is shared across shipping, bunkering, ports, and regulators.

"The current situation in the Middle East is a particular concern, and the safety, well-being, and protection of seafarers operating in or near conflict zones is our number one concern, second to none."

More Work Needed

From Suzun Marine Fuels’s point of view, the industry could still be doing much more on this issue.

“The people in the offices are very detached from the reality of what goes on on a ship and the level of suffering that happens there,” Besev said.

“Sometimes you see these compliance officers or bunker traders sitting on their desk with a fair trade coffee - and the ship that they are fixing, there are 20 slaves on board basically living in worse conditions than a zoo.

“If the bunker industry becomes interested and adds this as part of their compliance screening as a corporate social responsibility matter, more owners and operators will see that; this will have an effect on them, and then they will do something about it.”