The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched negotiations on a new, more rigorous identity regime for seafarers with the aim of developing effective protection against terrorism, while at the same time ensuring the rights and freedoms of the world’s 1.2 million maritime workers.

The new security measures, to be considered by government, worker and employer representatives of the Organization’s 176 member States and be implemented as part of a new ILO convention, are being discussed at the Organization’s annual IL Conference which was had in June.

The initiative gained new impetus this week from a declaration by the G8 summit in Evian, France, which cited in its communiquéé on transportation security the urgent need “to develop a secure, verifiable seafarer identity document at the International Labour Organization (ILO)”. A model for such a document could be proposed for international use as early as June 2004.

“We are now living in a world where we have competing but legitimate interests in security, the movement of maritime commerce, the well-being of these professional maritime workers and the facilitation of their professional movement”, said Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office (ILO). “Urgent measures are clearly needed in order to balance these legitimate interests.”

“The ILO is providing a timely forum for governments, employers and workers to find the right solution to accommodate these interests”, Mr. Somavia said.

With the heightened concerns about port security, a new seafarers identity document would be a substantial contribution to international security by helping to ensure that the identity of seafarers in ports, airports and aboard ships can be positively established through the most modern means available.

The discussions at the ILO come in the wake of moves by the United States following the September 11 attacks. In passing the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the US Congress took a first step toward protecting the global maritime community from threats of terrorism.

However, other countries envisage similar measures as a means to stem the tide of illegal immigration. The concern of the ILO is to ensure that the necessary balance is maintained between security interests and those relating to the well-being of seafarers and the facilitation of maritime commerce.

As a result of the importance of the SID, Nigeria is maintaining a lead in the implementation of the programme in Africa and may be the second in the world behind Canada if the National Assembly promptly completes the process of domesticating the convention.

The SID Convention provides for a biometric new seafarers’ identity document that enhances maritime security while facilitating shore leave and professional movement of seafarers.

This was motivated by the September 11 2001 terrorist attack against the United States of America, which shook the entire world, resulting in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) rising up to the challenge for enhanced security in the conduct of seafarers profession.

Article six of the convention provides that holders of SID can be admitted to member territory for the purpose of temporary shore leave and transit and transfers. Seafarers shall not be required to hold visas for the purposes of shore leave. For transit and transfer, they shall also be permitted entry on the production of a valid SID supplemented passport.

18 countries have so far ratified the convention, which include Albanian, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Lithuania and Madagascar. Others are Republic of Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Vanuatu and Yemen,

However, only Canada has domesticated the convention, making it applicable in that country. Nigeria ratified the convention in December 2003 and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), statutorily responsible for establishing the procedure for the implementation of the convention of ILO to which Nigeria is a party on maritime labour, commissioned the SID equipment in 2007.

At a sensitization workshop on the SID Convention 185 organized by NIMASA, which held at the Maritime Resource Center in Lagos on Tuesday, director general of the agency, Temisan Omatseye disclosed that the equipments for the production of the identity document were ready for use. He however regretted that they cannot be used until it is domesticated by the National Assembly.

“Let me use this medium to assure all stakeholders that NIMASA will live up to its statutory mandate in implementing the SID convention by issuing the SID to qualified seafarers once the process of domestication is concluded by the National Assembly”, Omatseye said.

However, all three partners of the ILO, namely governments, shipowners and seafarers have vested interests in the ratification and implementation of the SID convention 185. Governments are all securing their air, land and sea borders and have further economic interests in the safety and security of the high seas as maritime industry handle 90 percent of the worlds’ trade.

On their own side, ship owners are interested in minimizing administrative delays in the transport of 90 percent of the worlds’ trade and they are motivated to employ seafarers who have the necessary credentials for transit and transfer.

Also, the over 1.2 million seafarers in the world have absolute need to go ashore after long periods at sea and they also want to minimize any administrative impediment to their ability to conduct their profession

Calling on the National Assembly to fast-track the domestication of the convention, chairman of the Nigerian Seafarers Welfare Board, Kunle Folarin, said it is in the interest of the country and for the development of Nigerian seafarers.

“I think the Nationals Assembly has to be lobbied, there should be pressure from the ministry, NIMASA, from the stakeholders for them to domesticate this convention. It is in the interest of the country for the development of our seafarers Nigeria had 4000 ships calling last year, what are the percentage that was manned by Nigerians, what are the percentage of the bottoms that were owned by Nigerians, it’s a big loss, so we begin to think ahead of what to do to solve problems. The issue of domestication for God sake is not a difficult thing.

A lot of bills have come to the National Assembly and they are being passed, so I believe the press also should mount the campaign that they should domesticate this convention and let us move forward.”

“It is when you are looking at abuse, that is when those figures come in. for example, you have a document that is automatic visa, this is a document that guarantees entry without any encumbrance to the holder.

We are saying that they should jealously guard against any abuse because if a trader or any body wants to go to for example Shengen countries and has applied several times and cannot get it, he gets SID and poses to be a seafarer, he will go in. now we are saying if you know how much people spend to secure travel document, SID is a passport already, it’s a visa, it’s a guarantee of stay for a period in a country, mind you, you don’t have to be onboard a ship to present it, you can say you want to go and join a ship in that country.

You have right to fly in through a commercial flight into any country and say I am a seafarer and going for training there or going to join a ship in the country. So, such a document that performs so many roles into one becomes attractive and other people who are not seafarers may be tempted to try to get that document,” he concluded.