ILWU: Explosion at the Port of Beirut Puts Spotlight on Lax Maritime Regulations
On
ILWU statement
The day after the explosion,
"Reports that the Lebanese government has put port authorities under house arrest while investigating the dubious storage of these explosive materials on the docks since 2014, and the likelihood that these deaths were preventable, are deeply disturbing but not surprising developments to those of us who work on the waterfront. Employers, port authorities and government agencies should always hold safety paramount on the waterfront - but, left unchecked, complacency and profit motive too often put workers' lives at risk. The shocking images we are seeing in the news illustrate why dockworker unions fight for safety on the docks and the safe movement of cargo: to protect our lives and communities.
The ILWU is closely monitoring the developments at the
The
ITF affiliated unions in
Profits over people
Protests erupted in the aftermath of the explosion that resulted in the resignation of Lebanese government officials including the Prime Minister. But the gross negligence of the government is only part of the story. In an opinion piece published in The Guardian,
Flag of convenience
The FoC practice allows shipping companies to register a ship in a country other than that of the ship's owners to avoid oversight, regulations, and accountability. Such ships are registered to (and fly the flags of) countries with the weakest labor, environmental, and health and safety regulations.
The beginning of the tragedy
In her article, Khalili begins the story of the Beirut Port explosion in 2013, when the Russian-owned MV Rhosus, registered to a company in
The Rhosus stopped in
The captain and remaining crew were trapped aboard the ship--with its 2,750 tons of explosive cargo--for almost a year with no wages, no access to electronic communications, and with dwindling food and fuel provisions, until a Lebanese court intervened and ordered them to be released. The cargo of ammonium nitrate was confiscated and stored in a warehouse at the port-where it remained until it exploded on
"The removal of these offshoring provisions, eliminating flags of convenience, and an overhaul of the arbitration mechanisms that so often disadvantage seafarers and less powerful states are only the first steps towards addressing the malfeasance that created [the
The ITF says that until there is a "genuine link between the flag a ship flies and the nationality or residence of its owners," abuses will continue."
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