Australian shipowners deplored increasing rivalry among shipping lines to recruit scare crewmen, as well as recent US customs rules making shore leave more difficult for foreign sailors while at the same time welcoming rules to impose more regulation on working life at sea coming from such bodies as the UN's International Maritime Organisation and the International Labour Organisation.
The Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF), who members are said to control 50 per cent of world tonnage, held their seafarers committee's 13th interim meeting in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province earlier this month.
At its close, the group "noted with deep concern" the restrictions on crew changes in the United States after new rules came out from US Customs and Border Protection Agency.
The committee also noted with "serious concern" the "aggressive competition for seafarers which results in a distorted employment. . .because of high demand. This will not assist in finding a solution to the shortage of seafarers and will not contribute to improving the number and quality of seafarers," the communique said.
"The committee welcomed the development of the regulation in China and considered it is a positive step by the Chinese government to meet the requirements of ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006 towards the final ratification of the Convention," said the joint communique.
"The regulation was the first government document with the purpose of improving the quality of seafarers, safeguarding the legal rights of seafarers and regulating the manning and training market in China," the communique said.
"The committee agreed that there was a need to develop a system or a mandatory instrument by which hours of work could be verified," the document said.
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