IMO Secreatry General, Mr. Kitack Lim

While Kitack Lim’s plate is full with a number of watershed issues surrounding ship technology, the Secretary General is clearly passionate about seafarer issues, particularly ensuring that seafarer social and human rights are a top priority.

“My ambition is to create a psychological link between the IMO and the seafarer,” he said. This ambition is rooted in his view that there is a changing paradigm in the shipping industry regarding the relationship between the seafarer and the company where they work. In the past, the ship operating company made a direct contract with the seafarer, creating a link between the seafarer and the company. The seafarer would think, this is my company and that bond was instrumental in creating a greater sense of community, connection and security for the seafarer”.

But today things have completely changed, with the emergence of middlemen, namely ship management companies, international registries and even classification societies. These three entities, particularly the ship management company, have largely been delegated direct day-to-day roles that directly impact the seafarer, and lost is that psychological connection between the seafarer and the shipping company.

“We need to look harder at the role and responsibility of the ship management company,” said Lim, noting that it is not well known or understood publicly, highlighted particularly when accidents occur. “We need to reassess the impact of these three players in terms of IMO (rules) implementations.”

As should be expected from the leader of the lead rule-making body for international shipping, Lim believes in collaboration and inclusion, with clear communication. “We need to talk, all of the relevant players, from the IMO to the ILO to NGOs, we need to communicate” on issues and look after the seafarer, a critical piece he believes in not only caring for the seafarers of today, but critical too in attracting the younger generation to a life at sea.

“I am concerned about their morale,” particularly in cases where an accident occurs and they see a captain arrested. Lim concludes that it comes down to basic human rights, and in some regards, due to the changing paradigm, “mariners do not feel protected.”

The Secretary-General is also concerned about abandonment of seafarers which unfortunately has become a more common occurrence.  Indeed, in 2017, reported abandonment cases (55) were nearly triple that in any single recent year over the past five years.

While the reasons for abandonment vary, the impacts are devastating on seafarers and their families – loss of wages, inadequate food and medical attention, and an inability to be repatriated and return home to loved ones. The IMO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the ITF and the industry have all been working to help eradicate this problem, but statistics show that it persists.

Hand-in-hand with seafarer issues is training and education, particularly as approximately 80% of ship accidents are attributable to human error. “Today’s world depends on a safe, secure and efficient shipping industry; and shipping depends on an adequate supply of (well-trained and cared-for) seafarers,” said Lim. “Seafaring is a job that demands highly trained and qualified personnel, as ships are more complex and sophisticated than ever before. Environmental pressures, the need to operate at optimum efficiency in difficult economic times and the quest for ever higher levels of safety are all factors which raise the bar with respect to the skill and competence levels of seagoing personnel.”

As the level of technology on ships evolves rapidly, Lim contends that standards of crewing and operation must keep pace, as the modern ship’s officer needs to be far more than a navigator or an engineer, and the modern ship’s crew needs to be far more than a mere worker.

“A modern ship is a highly technical workplace operating on the tight margins of commercial viability – which means that, as well as a highly-advanced technical skillset, shipboard staff now also need to have management and communication skills, IT knowledge, and be able to handle budgets and so on,” Lim said.

“This places special demands on maritime education and training. Maritime education and training must be of high and consistent quality, throughout the world. Maritime education and training also needs to be skills-based, competence-based and to utilize the latest technology – simulators reflecting modern ships and up-to-date bridge layouts, for example.”