Exploring the corruption and challenges faced by seafarers at ports, including unjust arrests and fines. The episode discusses the efforts of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network to combat corruption in the shipping industry. Personal accounts of seafarers reveal the harsh realities and complexities of their lives at sea.
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Quick takeaways
Seafarers face challenges with corruption demands at various ports, needing support from organizations like the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network.
Refusing to comply with corrupt demands can lead to serious consequences like fines, detentions, and threats for seafarers.
Deep dives
Seafarers' Challenges and Isolation at Sea
Seafarers face challenges and isolation while transporting goods across oceans. They work tirelessly, often unseen, to ensure goods reach their destinations. The Liverpool Seafarers Centre provides support and a space for relaxation to these seafarers. Despite the respite in Liverpool, not all ports offer such amenities, leaving seafarers to deal with the immense pressures and demands of their jobs.
Corruption and Its Impact on Seafarers
Corruption poses significant challenges for seafarers, with reports of demands for bribes and facilitation payments at various ports. Refusing to comply can lead to fines, detentions, and even threats. The maritime industry, through organizations like the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, is working towards a zero-tolerance approach to combat corruption and protect seafarers.
Call for Industry-wide Support and Legal Safeguards
The International Chamber of Shipping emphasizes the importance of supporting seafarers facing corrupt demands and ensuring their safety. Companies are urged to have strict procedures in place to guide seafarers on handling such situations. Collaboration with governments and industry initiatives like the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network aim to create a safer and more transparent environment for seafarers worldwide.
It’s estimated that 90% of traded goods travel over the oceans. But for the seafarers who make that happen, it’s not always an easy process.
Thousands of incidents of corruption within the industry have been reported to the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network, who in this episode, tell Ruth Alexander what they’re doing to help the problem.
Seafarers can often be put in an impossible position, and one former captain tells us how he was arrested at gunpoint after refusing to hand over a carton of cigarettes to officials.
(Picture: A bird's eye view of a container ship at sea. Credit: Getty Images)
Presenter: Ruth Alexander
Producer: Izzy Greenfield
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