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Good work done in silence

The UK Shipping Minister David Ladyman wants a transparent system for flag state audits. This system is expected to be adopted by IMO to increase the quality and standards of flag state administrations on a voluntary basis. Speaking at the 24th Assembly of the International Maritime Organization, IMO, Ladyman said that all findings from an audit should be published if the system is to successfully win credibility not only within the industry but also with the general public.

The UK initiative is of course worth an applause and full support, but will the public care?
At another arena, the Seatrade London conference, IMO secretary general Efthimios Mitropoulos said that shipping must work closer to the mainstream press to open people’s eyes to all that is good in shipping, so that the media not just reports on accidents. But will the media care?

For media in general, a spectacular accident at sea with oily birds or passenger vessels in flames is considered breaking news, which will attract readers. For business publications, a shipowner raking in billions of dollars in profits or being involved in a dramatic bankruptcy is breaking news.
The daily good work of shipping – tying countries and continents together and carrying world trade – is done in silence.

The problem shipping is facing is that it is invisible for the general public. Ships operate on the high seas far from the public, ports have moved out from the cities and new security demands have cut off public access to the ports.

As long as there is no spectacular action, no one reflects on how the bananas have reached the store or how the petrol was transported to the pump at the petrol station. That the sea transportation cost from Asia to Europe is just some mere cents for a pair of EUR 80 Nike training sneakers is also a fact not known by the public. And why care as long as the sneakers are in the store when we want them, at a price we are willing to pay?

If we want to improve the image of shipping, a short-term media campaign is not the answer, irrespective of how much money that’s poured into it.

There are several key actions to address if the image of the industry is to be improved. One is a long-term educational effort, nationally and internationally. The schools are the future, and increased knowledge of shipping and its importance among children and youths, is the key for a better general understanding of shipping in the future. This will require resources, dedication and endurance from the industry and the authorities.

In some political circles, shipping is today seen as a self-righteous and an always complaining industry, fighting against all new rules for improvement of maritime safety or rules to protect the environment, but always demanding new subsidies and lower taxes. This perception can only be changed by a transparent and open-minded industry working close to the political arenas to educate politicians on the importance of shipping and the conditions it’s working under.

The risk for spectacular accidents at sea must be reduced. Substandard shipping should be eradicated. To achieve this, a today silent and passive player must be activated: the cargo owner. Most substandard shipping is found in the transport chain as far away from the end consumer as possible, transporting low-value added cargoes. As long as there are industries not willing to pay for safe and sound sea transports of their raw materials, there will always be a place in the market for less serious shipowners.

The status of seafarers must be improved. There are about 1.2 million seafarers operating the world commercial fleet that carries around 85 per cent of the world’s exports. In comparison to the world population, 1.2 million people are of course a very, very marginal community, but it is a community that could be seen as the backbone of today’s society. Without those men and women, world trade would cease. With them, the world can become a better place through increased trade and building of wealth also in the developing parts of the world. Seafarers should be recognised for their achievements and acknowledged by society for their importance.

Today it’s the other way around. Political decisions make it possible to criminalise crews for accidents leading to pollution. Through new security initiatives, seafarers are discriminated and have to work and live in a climate of distrust and suspicion.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia is also an example of the media’s and the public view on seafarers. Ships are hi-jacked and seafarers killed or injured. Today Somali pirates hold seven vessels with over 100 seafarers for ransoms. This is a big issue within the industry with many organisations demanding actions to be taken to safeguard shipping and the seafarers.

It was, however, first when a cruise vessel with American passengers aboard was attacked that the pirates hit the headlines of the world press, and the pirates became an issue for the UN Security Council.

//Rolf P Nilsson