• Inward Cargoes to attract higher freight rates
A most damning backlash of the alarming insecurity along the Coast of Guinea where Nigeria is a dominant actor came last week when the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) declared Nigeria and neighbouring Benin Republic ‘high risk area’.
The categorization which has a damaging cost implication on shipment into Nigeria came as result of what the body called increasing number of attacks on vessels and kidnap of crews.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that the designation will come into effect on April 1, 2012 in order to allow ship operators to make any necessary preparations.
It will afford the same benefits and protections to seafarers in those areas as the High Risk Area in the Gulf of Aden and around Somalia, including: the need for enhanced security measures; advance notice of intent to enter the area; the right to refuse to enter it; and a doubling of the daily basic wage and of death and disability compensation while within the area of risk.
The High Risk Area provisions apply to all ships operated under an IBF agreement. The ITF’s Fair Practices Committee Steering Group will decide on whether to also apply them to all ships under non-IBF ITF agreements. IBF agreements on high risk areas also provide an indicator of good practice to national flag registers. The provisions are set out in full below.
The IBF provides a forum for discussion between the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and its member unions, and the maritime employers in the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG).
It covers territorial waters of Benin and Nigeria, including: ports, terminals and roads anchorages, the delta of the Niger river, other inland waterways and port facilities, except only when the vessel is attached securely to a berth or SBM facility in a guarded port area.
Under the declaration, all companies operating vessels or installations on the waters around the duo of Nigeria and Benin should have sufficient security arrangements to safeguard their personnel, given the nature of the risk, and should provide adequate protection, advice and compensations to the crews.
Details of the declaration that were made available to Shipping Position Daily indicate that:
Upon the vessel’s entry into and, further, throughout the entire stay in the Area as specified above, seafarers must be protected by increased security measures that will provide adequate levels of safety and security on board, such as the Best Management Practice.
In the ports of the above listed countries and inland waterways and approaches to these ports, including offshore installations, extra security measures for reducing the vessel’s vulnerability to an unsanctioned approach and boarding should be adopted. Such measures should, inter alia, provide for an enhanced look-out and an emergency alert/action plan securing sufficient safety for the crew and reliable contact with the authorities. The sufficiency of such extra security measures should be determined depending on the vessel’s type, size and freeboard.
Prior to approaching a port, detailed local advice about the security situation should be obtained and arrivals and departures timed to coincide with security patrols operated by respective government forces, if available.
Shore leave should be prohibited unless exceptional circumstances or emergencies may demand otherwise.
Normal crew changes should not be effected in any above listed country unless absolutely essential.
Under normal circumstances the company shall notify the seafarer if the vessel on which he/she is due to serve/is serving is planned to call into the Area at least 30 days prior to the entry. On receipt of this notification, the seafarer may request to exercise his/her right of repatriation at Company expense, with benefits accrued until date of return to final destination. If it proves impossible for a Company to notify a seafarer more than 30 days prior to the entry (for example due to schedule changes), the Company shall make all reasonable endeavors to repatriate the seafarer at the earliest opportunity, at Company expense, with benefits accrued until date of return to final destination.
The company should pay each seafarer agreeing to proceed into the Area a compensation amounting to 100% of the basic wage for each day of the seafarer’s stay in the Area and a doubled compensation in case of death and/or disability.
In the event of an attack regular liaison should be maintained with seafarers' families to advise them of the status of respective crewmembers working in the Area and the security measures being adopted to safeguard and assist them.
The parties have accepted that compared to the terms and conditions of the respective IBF Collective Bargaining Agreement this agreement may lead to more favorable treatment for seafarers serving in the Area, but in no case will it undermine any existing contractual entitlements.
A ship captain who was contacted for interpretation of the categorization explained “that it is to enable sea farers coming to Nigeria to be doubly- protected, it means that shippers will have to pay more and freight rates will starting going up as from April”.
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