MARITIME SECURITY AND THE MARITIME WORKFORCE

1
MARITIME SECURITY AND THE MARITIME WORKFORCE

• Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry
• International Labour Office
• Geneva, Switzerland

2
Improved security of Seafarers Identification

• The Seafarer in the Context of Security
• Three Basic Interests to be Balanced
• Positive Verifiable Identification
• Other Relevant Basic Rights
• The Seafarers Identity Documents Convention,
  1958 (No.108)
• The Proposed New Instrument
• The Security Objective

3
Improved security of Seafarers Identification

• Form and Content of the Information in the
  Identity Document
• Certification Information
• A National Database for Seafarers
• External monitoring and/or evaluation
• Conclusions

4
The Seafarer in the context of security

• There are today 1.2 million seafarers
• Seafarers are directly involved in the transport
  of goods, including dangerous goods and in the
  carriage of passengers
• They have access to ports, including restricted
  areas
• The ship is their place of work and recreation

5
The Seafarer in the context of security

• They need access to port facilities for welfare
  purposes
• They need to benefit from certain facilities in
  order to enable them to carry out their
  international professional moves
• These are shore leave, ability to rapidly join a
  ship or transfer to another ship, repatriation

6
Three basic interests to be balanced

• Security of seafarers themselves, of their ship
  and their working environment
• Facilitation of maritime commerce
• Decent working conditions

7
Positive Verifiable Identification

• A substantial number of countries will be
  requiring positive verifiable identification
  before they are prepared to grant special
  facilities to enable seafarers to carry out their
  professional moves

8
Other relevant Basic Rights

• Rights to privacy
• Freedom from discrimination

9
The Seafarers Identity Documents Convention,
1958 (No.108)

• The Convention requires States ratifying it
• to issue seafarers identity documents
  corresponding to established criteria and
• to recognise similar documents issued by other
  parties to the Convention
• Convention No.108 is ratified by 61 ILO member
  States representing 60.7 per cent of the world
  fleet. The U.S has not ratified the Convention

10
The proposed new instrument

• It would have two broad purposes
• 1. to strengthen the reliability of the document
  provided for as well as related national
  procedures and infrastructures
• 2. To maintain the obligations relating to rights
  and facilities to be granted to seafarers to the
  maximum extent possible, bearing also in mind the
  need to ensure the widest possible acceptability
  of the new instrument

11
The proposed new instrument

• Two essential aspects will be given attention
• Improving the security features relating to the
  seafarers identity document
• Facilitation of the professional activities of
  seafarers and the exercise of their right to work

12
The security objective

• The primary security objective is to enable an
  immigration or other competent official to
  easily verify, with the maximum certainty that
• the holder of a seafarers identity document,
  temporarily within the territorial jurisdiction
  of the country concerned, is indeed a seafarer

13
The security objective

• The primary security objective is to enable an
  immigration or other competent official to
  easily verify, with the maximum of certainty
  that
• He/she is indeed the person identified on the
  document and that he/she has the nationality
  stated on it

14
The security objective

• The new instrument will cover the following
  aspects
• the issue of the document
• the physical characteristics of the document
• the form and content of the information to be
  provided for on the document

15
The security objective

• The new instrument will cover the following
  aspects
• external means of verifying authenticity of of
  the information given
• reliability of the system of identification in
  the country of issue

16
Form and content of the information

• The main new element suggested in connection with
  positive verifiable identification is a
  biometrics template
• Information still needs to be provided to assuage
  concerns relating to privacy issues
• Information is also needed concerning the
  availability, cost and user friendliness of
  appropriate technology

17
Certification information

• The IMO has favoured the inclusion of information
  relating to the seafarers qualifications in
  order to provide
• verifiable evidence of the holders occupation as
  a seafarer
• his/her bona fides to hold a seafarers
  identification document

18
Certification information

• This question is being included in the
  questionnaire being sent out to member States,
  since STCW certificates may be issued by States
  other than the State of nationality of the
  seafarer which, would under the new instrument,
  issue the identification document

19
A national database on Seafarers

• In order to be able to verify the authenticity of
  of the information given on seafarers
  identification documents, it is envisaged to
  include a requirement in the new instrument for
  competent authorities to

20
A national database on Seafarers

• maintain a national database including a
  reference to each identity document issued by
  them, due regard being paid to issues of privacy
• have access at all times to permanent focal
  points in order to facilitate rapid verification

21
External monitoring and/or evaluation

• There has been general agreement in the recent
  consultations at the ILO that the procedures
  established by each country for the issue of
  identity documents should be the subject of
  external monitoring and/or evaluation
• Reference has been made to models like the IMO
  White List or the ICAO audits

22
CONCLUSIONS

• The broad objectives for the new instrument are
• specific guarantees for enhanced security of the
  new identity document
• facilitating the professional activities of
  seafarers and the exercise of their rights at
  work

23
CONCLUSIONS

• The broad objectives for the new instrument are
• ensuring that the US can and will ratify the new
  instrument
• its world-wide acceptance in as short a time as
  possible