World Maritime University The Maritime Commons: Digital Repository of the World Maritime University World Maritime University Dissertations Dissertations 1986 The human aspect of shipping: the present status and future trends of maritime labour Samson Shiferaw WMU Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.wmu.se/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Shiferaw, Samson, "The human aspect of shipping: the present status and future trends of maritime labour" (1986). World Maritime University Dissertations. 784. https://commons.wmu.se/all_dissertations/784 This Dissertation is brought to you courtesy of Maritime Commons. Open Access items may be downloaded for non-commercial, fair use academic purposes. No items may be hosted on another server or web site without express written permission from the World Maritime University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. NORLD HARITIHE UNIVERSITY I-! M i: THE HUMAN ASPECT OF SHIPPING: M li THE PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE lil TRENDS OF MARITIME LABOUR I y ____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ Si£=»MSO|v| SM I SM (==i =■ TM I OF=- I ^=1 WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY MALMO, SWEDEN THE HUMAN ASPECT OF SHIPPING: THE PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE TRENDS OF MARITIME LABOUR by SAMSON SHIFERAW ETHIOPIA A paper submitted to the World Maritime University in a partial satisfaction of the requirements for the award of a ■ MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE in GENERAL MARITIME ADMINISTRATION The contents of this paper reflect my own personal views and are not* necessarily endorsed by the University. Signature: o/ivun^ Date : November 1986^ Supervised and assessed by: Prof. Adge Os World Maritime University Co assessed by: Prof. Edgard Gold Visiting Professor World Maritime University ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 3 wish to express iny deep and most sincere thanks to Professor Adge Os and Professor Edgard Gold for their invaluable assistance and advice throughout this work. I am also most grateful for the kind assistance and cooperation accorded to me by Professor Ernest G. Frankel, Mr. John Pisani, Mr. Kim Carman, Mr. Carl Sobremisana, Dr. Schumier and especially Mr. .Arthur W. Friedberg during my training attachment to the U.S.Maritime Administration Office of Maritime Labour and Training. The wide accomodation extended WMU librarian Mr. Richard Poisson and the various encouragement and support provided by my friends is highly appreciated. Finnalb’, I wish to express my very special gratitude to the General Manager of the Marine Transport .Authority, Cdr. Zelleke Bogale for nominating me for this invaluable study. THE HUMAN ASPECT OF SHIPPING: THE PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE TRENDS OF MARITIME LABOUR . CONTENTS Paai I. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Historical Background 8 1.2 Definition 19 1.2.1 Seafarers 1.2.2 Seamen 1.2.3 Labour 1.2.4 Labour Law 1.2.5 Labour Economics 1.2.6 Productivity (Labour) 1.2.7 Automation II. SHIPPING POLICY AND MARITIME LABOUR 25 2.1 Registration of Ships and Labour 30 2.1.1 The Open Registry Situation and Labour .36 2.1.2 Port State Control vis-a-vis Flag State Control 51 2.2 Labour Union's Role 61 2.3 Manning of Vessels 66 2.3.1 Training of Crew 71 2.3.2 The STCW, 1978 Convention 76 2.4 National Maritime Board 79 III. MARITIME SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND LABOUR 86 3.1 Safety Administration (Operational) 93 - ii - Page 3.2 Technical Safety (Constructional) 94 3.2.1 Survey and Inspection 95 3.2.2 Construction Fire Prevention 97 3.2.3 Life Safety Appliances 93 3.2.4 Navigational Safety iqo 3.3 Cargo Safety 106 THE ECONOMICS OF SHIP-OPERATION AND LABOUR H I 4.1 The Economics of Labour and Ship Operation 114 4.1.1 Demand for Seafarers 117 4.1.2 Supply of Seafarers 122 4.1.3 Labour Productivity 125 4.2 Economic E ffects of Automation 125 SOCIAL ASPECTS OF SHIP-MANAGEMENT 134 5.1 The Human Behaviour in Shipping 135 5.2 Social Status of Seafarers 140 5.3 Management and Technology 143 5.3.1 The Ship-Board Management System 144 INTERNATIONAL MARITIME STANDARDS AND LABOUR 153 6.1 I.M.O. 155 6.2 I.L.O. 150 6.3 U.N.C.T.A.D. 172 6.4 W.H.O. 177 6.5 I.T.F. 178 6 . 6 S.C.I. 183 NEW DIRECTIONS IN SHIPPING TECHNOLOGY AND MARITIME 189 LABOUR 7.1 Robotics in Shipping 191 - iii - Page 7.2 Satellite Communication in Shipping 195 7.3 Future Ships 199 VIII. CONCLUSION 208 BIBLIOGRAPHY 216 ANNEXES: I. United Nations Convention on Conditons for R egisteration of Ships, 1986. 225 II. List of IMO Resolutions Adopted by the Assembly Relating to Maritime Training., . 243 III. ILO Convention No. 147. 244 ***** *** * (iv) LIST OF TABLES p ag e 1. Number of Inspections made for MOU purposes (July 19831985) 58 2. Percentage of total cost estimate of 60,000 dwt bulk carrier 112 3. Annual crew costs for a 25,000 bulk carrier, (1980) 120 4. ITF Safe Manning Scales 121 5. Revised Norwegian Manning Levels March 1983 121 6. The Norwegian Manning Scales 122 7. Rank ordered factors influencing decision to go at sea and remain at sea (excluding military obligations) 139 8. Description of life styles of different types of seamen 141 I. INTRODUCTION: This paper attempts to examine shipping from a different perspective than the ones which one most probably has been seen in most other papers. It sig­ nifies the importance of human labour in shipping as in all other fields of present day business industries. It intends to get into the "pros" and "cons" of regulation versus non-regulation and their impact on the general operation of ships in relation to its labour conditions. The various efforts that have been made to standardise the international maritime situation in the fields of Management, Administration, Labour Economics, Labour Union, Maritime Law and P o licies and advance in technology and their impact on social conditions would be main areas of this discussion. An important point worth mentioning is that although maritime labour in general, may include ship-building labour, stevedoring, port labour (dockers) and/or fishermen this paper emphasizes particularly on matters relating to seafarers; especially sea going ship personnel only. The glory of the past, the rapidly changing present day technological advancement and the undefined future with a high probability of phasing- out of the seafaring profession will be discussed in detail taking into consideration and paying special attention as to the present status of ship-operation in relation to the shipping policies exercised by state administration and governments on areas of: - Registration of ships and their impact on labour. - Port-state control vis-a-vis flag state control. - Labour unions role. - Manning of v essels. - Training and certification of seafarers; and - The STCW, 1978 Convention. - 2 - Shipping as a phase of production, is indispensable to economic progress and military strength which is confined to government policies. This being the main vehicle of international trade is a major economic tool playing a significant role regarding the balance of paynents o f a country. Sir Walter Raleigh in History of the World, 1616, has clearly shown the impor­ tance of shipping in this famous excerpt; "Whosoever commands the sea commands trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the World, and consequently the world itself." (1) The safe adm inistration and management of shipping companies, be i t governmental or private, is a major concern of governments to maintain this balance. The micro-policies of these lines which might be different depending upon the areas of the trade they are engaged in should be regulated to have conformity with the macro-policies of the State and the National interest. Safety is the object of any good administrative function which shipowners, ship-operators, governments and the world community as a whole take great interest in. The safety of vessels, crew, as well as the marine environ­ ment is the concern of governments and international organizations in which certain requirements have been set up to be met where shipowners sometimes find it difficult to implement for economic reasons. This has to a certain extent created disparities and new interests in the registration of ships under foreign flags which has created areas of discussion in the Interna­ tional fora. The need for transporting goods and experiences from one corner of the world to the other covering wider areas of state administra­ tions with different political, economic and jurisdictional rights calls - 3 - forth for international cooperation and the set-up of reasonable working conditions despite the differences creating new frontiers of International ft Law jn the maritime field. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the name implies takes the lead role in working together with United Nations Organizations and other governmental bodies in order to set-up a reasonable working condi­ tion at the International level. With its motto "Safe Ships & Clean Oceans" IMO has passed several recommendations and conventions in the administrative as well as in the constructional safe ty measures to fulfill its objectives. Those international United Nations Organizations and other organs with which IMO closely works in the maritime field are the International Labour Organization (I.L.O.), United Nations Confrarence on Trade and Development (U.N.C.T.A.D.), World Health O rganization (W.H.O.), International Transport Workers Federation (I.T.F.), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (O.E.C.D.), and Seamen's Church Institute.-Center for Seafarer's Rights contribute a lot for the develop­ ment of this international cooperation. These international organizations and agencies are seeking ways and means to set-up favourable working conditions taking into account the capital intensive nature of ship- operation and the need for safety precautions.