According to the “In Support of Our Blue Army” initiative from “Energy and Infrastructure”

The UAE bans entry to any ship that violates the rights of seafarers

  • The UAE is a logistics hub linking international shipping lines.

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  • Suhail Al Mazrouei: "The ministry will not tolerate any ship owner or charter company that fails to perform its duties towards seafarers."

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The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure announced the launch of an initiative "in support of our Blue Army", to improve the quality of life for seafarers during their stay in the UAE, protect their rights from ship owners or charter companies that fail to perform their obligations towards them, as well as help seafarers overcome the major challenges they face as a result of COVID-19 and travel closures.

The ministry stressed that it will not tolerate any ship owner or charter company that fails to perform its duties towards sailors, or abandons them on board dilapidated and unseaworthy ships, or abandoned on the shores of the country, stressing that ships that violate the rights of seafarers, you will find that the state's waters are prohibited. on it, and you will not be able to enter it.

economic returns

The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail Al Mazrouei, said: “When talking about the maritime transport sector, the UAE is not like other countries;

It ranks ninth as the best global maritime center, and hosts a number of the largest and most advanced regional ports in terms of its infrastructure and digital ecosystem.”

He added that the country represents a logistical center linking international shipping lines, as the UAE accounts for a large share of the number of ships that reach the ports of the region, which exceeded 21,000 ships annually, and more than 20,000 international and local maritime companies operate in the country, in more than the number of More than 17 million containers are handled in the country's ports annually, so that these operations achieve abundant economic returns to the national product, pointing out that all these achievements cannot be achieved without the dedication of thousands of seafarers who arrive in the country's waters on ships.

Al Mazrouei continued: "For this purpose, we launched an initiative (in support of our Blue Army), to be one of the first countries to preserve the rights of marine crews, especially in such circumstances in which sailors played a prominent role in confronting the negative impact of the pandemic on the global economy."

Legislations and laws

Al Mazrouei said: “By virtue of our role in the ministry and our responsibility to set legislation and laws related to the maritime sector, and to ensure compliance and application of these laws, we have been keen that our legal system is dedicated to serving those seafarers who contribute mainly to achieving the economic development of the UAE, and the last of these achievements was Cabinet decision regarding marine wrecks and violating ships, which obliges all ships flying the state flag, or sailing in its waters, to guarantee the rights of seafarers and the obligation to provide their requirements.

Al Mazrouei stressed that the ministry will make all proactive efforts to ensure that the country's maritime system does not allow violations of the rights of seafarers and crews at all.

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For his part, Sheikh Nasser Majid Al Qasimi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Infrastructure and Transport Regulatory Sector at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, expressed great confidence that the initiative will have resonance worldwide, as the thousands of seafarers whose ships carry them to the country’s ports will benefit from it, and the country will be the benchmark. internationally in providing a well-being for seafarers and ensuring the protection of their rights.

Ships that violate the rights of seafarers will also find that the country's waters are prohibited and will not be able to enter them, and therefore will not be able to be part of the regional trade center, supply chain and global logistics.

In the same context, the Minister’s Adviser for Maritime Transport Affairs, at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, Engineer Hessa Al Malik, said: “In the UAE, we bear an additional responsibility towards the maritime transport sector and the shipping industry in general, and seafarers in particular, because we are a major player in this sector.”

She added: “Considering our membership on the IMO Executive Board, in Category B;

Therefore, our legal system must be advanced in proportion to our role, and that legal system must support tangible initiatives and achievements on the ground.

This is what prompted us to launch this initiative, which is integrated with the comprehensive system of distinguished government performance, and the leadership’s vision.”

Protect and support seafarers

The initiative includes a number of achievements made by the Ministry in the field of protecting seafarers and providing support to them, the most important of which is contributing to the issuance of the Cabinet’s decision regarding marine debris and violating ships, and the announcement of regulations that guarantee the protection of seafarers’ rights, in addition to signing an agreement with the International Federation of Transport Workers, In parallel with providing all forms of material and moral support to seafarers in the country, providing them with free treatment and “Covid-19” vaccines, and the UAE’s initiative to allow the replacement of marine crews, in which the country has achieved a global precedence, alleviating the suffering of more than 214,000 sailors who were detained. On their ships, they were helped in the process of switching back to their home countries.

• The Emirates will be the international standard in providing a well-being for seafarers and ensuring the protection of their rights.

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