The merchant shipping industry – which in the past 16 months participated in almost 1,000 migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean – welcomes the decision by EU leaders to triple resources of the Triton operation. The shipping sector similarly supports the commitment of EU Member States to deploy additional operational means, including vessels and planes, to achieve this objective at relatively short notice. But the fact that operation Triton remains within the mandate of FRONTEX, the EU border agency, raises serious questions about the extent to which these efforts will fully ensure the immediate prevention of further loss of life, which should be the absolute priority.
Despite the lack of media attention due to COVID-19, the migrant rescue at sea crisis in the Mediterranean is far from over, with tens of thousands of migrants still attempting to make the dangerous sea crossing from Africa to Europe in overcrowded and unseaworthy craft.
Submitted by Liberia, Panama, BIMCO, CLIA, ICS, IFSMA, IMCA, IPTA, INTERTANKO, Intercargo, Interferry, ITF and the NI, Sub-Committee on Ship Systems and Equipment, 2nd Session, Agenda Item 16, December 2014.
Agenda: UNIFIED INTERPRETATION OF PROVISIONS OF IMO SAFETY, SECURITY
AND ENVIRONMENT-RELATED CONVENTIONS
Submitted by: Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Panama,
IACS, ICS, INTERMANAGER and INTERTANKO
Manila June 25, 2016: Gerardo Borromeo, Vice Chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) took the opportunity today to highlight the courage that is currently being displayed by seafarers, of all nationalities, with respect to the rescue at sea crisis taking place in Europe and in the Mediterranean.
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED JOINTLY BY ECSA, ETF, ICS AND ITF
European and global operators of merchant ships have joined forces with seafarers’ unions to urge EU Member States to take immediate collective action to address the growing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea.
The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea is spiralling out of control. EU Member States must act urgently to prevent the loss of thousands more lives, as hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees seek to escape to Europe in boats that are unfit for purpose and which are largely operated by people smugglers.