Week of action against substandard shipping

KOCHI: The Cochin Port Staff Association (CPSA), National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), Forward Seamen Union of India (FSUI) and Maritime Union of India (MUI) will jointly observe a week of action against the increasing trend of Flag Of Convenience (FOC) and substandard shipping.  A Flag of Convenience (FOC) ship flies the flag of a country other than the country of its ownership. Ship owners use FOC registers for many reasons, including cheap registration fees and low or no taxes at all. These registries also enable ship owners to employ a non-unionised workforce on poor salary and service conditions.During the Week of Action, the selected activists of the unions will inspect all FOC vessels berthed at Cochin Port and the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) Vallarpadam.  “The respective companies of the vessels will be asked to sign ITF acceptable agreements and honour minimum labour standards. The seafarers on board vessels and the dockers at the terminals will be informed about the dangers of FOC System,” the organisers said.