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Parry warns of threat to LISW’s ‘Big Maritime Welfare

freedom of the seasDebate’ sees call for IMO

seafarers’ committee

‘C
reeping territoriality’ is posing

a real threat to the concept
C
of freedom of the seas, lay Maitland, keynote speaker

delegates were told at the Britain and at London International

the Sea Conference during London Shipping Week’s inaugural

International Shipping Week.‘Big Maritime Welfare Debate’

Addressing the subject of opened proceedings by calling for

‘Geopolitics and the sea – security a ‘Seafarers Standing Committee’

and insecurity’ – Rear Admiral Chris at the International Maritime

Parry told his audience: “The great Organization, as well as better

issue that will need to be resolved as access to data by lag states on

the 21st century unfolds is whether rates of illness, suicide and deaths

the idea of the freedom of the seas on board. He also called for the UK

is to persist or whether creeping Government, in particular, to take a

territoriality – whereby states lead role in determining how best to

exercise sovereign jurisdiction over protect seafarers’ rights.

their adjacent sea space and, in some “When it comes to seafarers’

cases, beyond – is to prevail.”rights, flag states are in a darkened

The issues at stake in the South room,” said Mr Maitland, who is

and East China Seas, and in the head of International Registries

Arctic, represent signiicant test Inc., which runs the world’s third

cases, as do, at a lower level, disputes largest ship registry, the Marshall

between the US and Canada about Islands flag. “There is no database

the status of the North-West to refer to in advocating for the

Passage, between Denmark and the seafarer, but if that information

UK (over Rockall) and between a was out there the political pressure

number of countries in the eastern would then be there to support the

Mediterranean, said Chris Parry.seafarer,” he added.

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