That is patent BS. The ship owners will hire the cheapest labor they can that presents the documents making them legal as far as the various regulatory agencies proscribe. How much money does the IMO spend a year investigating the rules they wrote? Do they have any enforcement capabilities and if so when did they use them? What were the results?The ship owners may make sure they have a competent captain so their ship isn’t run aground but the rest of the crew? Not that important, just get some people with some papers that can keep it running at the lowest possible wage. If they bought the documents who cares? Ship owners hide behind FOC and set up shell corporations in countries known to hide assets and ownership. There are some reputable ship owners but over 50% are no better than pirates. Go to any port and trace the ownership of the ships sitting there. I was on a drillship for a few months that was owned on paper by one of the biggest companies in the business headquartered in the state of Texas in the USA. But the corporate office was in Switzerland [no one had a desk there] and the ship was owned by a company in Poland and flagged Vanuatu. Bulk and some other cargo shipping companies make that drillship company look pure as angel wings.
In that case there are a lot of countries that is higher on the Cost of Living Index 2020 than USA:
So seafarers from those deserving higher wages and better conditions I guess?
As for qualification, it means credentials per IMO STCW’10, accepted by flag state and port state authorities around the world. Not only by Liberia, Marshall Islands, Panama, Vanuatu and Palau)
Those you have that should have no problem getting a job on any ship under any flag. (Except if the flag is US and you are not a US citizen of course)
“US$1/day and no rights” with unqualified “3rd world villagers” as officers and crew are not a feasible option for ships in international trade. They are subject to ITF, MIC and PSC inspection, just the same as US ships in foreign trade are.
Besides, the Insurance Companies and P&I Clubs may not like it.
But then I suspect you are fully aware of that, being an active Master in international trade and exposed to the same inspection regime. (And regular Vetting by Charterers, in some cases)
I see only two US Airlines among the top 10 on these lists:
Nothing said about type of aircrafts they use in these lists, but I found this fleet list from FedEx:
https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Federal-Express
It appears they have quite a few Airbus A300s. Some of their plans are also carrying foreign registration, are based outside US.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of their pilots and crews are foreigners, with foreign credentials.
Considering everything those guys at the top of that list do make more than US citizens. Heathcare, very good unemployment compensation among many other benefits included in the taxes they pay which US citizens do not receive. Their wages are pretty good too.
I agree totally with you that the citizen of the countries with higher living cost also have higher wages than many Americans. they also pay more in direct and indirect taxes, but gets a lot more back for it in the form of benefits. (free education, unemployment compensation, sick leave, maternity leave, leave pay, free health care disability pay, and eventually pension to name some benefits)
But let’s not compare average citizens/residents. What about comparing seafarers from the countries with higher cost of living with US seafarers only? (Not US with Bangladesh)
(Masters with Masters and ABs with ABs etc. to make it more realistic)
Of course other conditions than pure monetary remuneration counts as well, like job security, working conditions and working periods, (in normal times) paid leave etc.
Which is bullshit.
That’s also bullshit.
They would if they were allowed to.
I have had Indonesians in DP classes that were unable to read a manual. They typically get used as crew when vessels are off hire. There is nobody cheaper or with less skills.
Nobody sure what they do in college but they get STCW-95 qualifications
I call BS on your BS!!! But then I think you know better. (??)
How many seafarers from Marshall Islands have you seen on MI ships? (Or Liberians on Lib. ships. Panamanians on Pan. ships etc.?)
Most ships are cross traders, FOC or not. They are built in one country, flagged in another and trade worldwide. Few calls at their home country, or home port before they eventually goes to a third country to be broken up. The “Owner(s)” are frequently from one or more countries not associated with any of the above.
That is the reality in international shipping today and is not likely to change, no matter what some people would like to happen.
No doubt you have predator Owners/Operators in the US domestic trade that would like to. (Just like in the US Tuna fishing fleet)
By having NORMAL Cabotage Law that prohibit foreign flag and foreign crews in domestic trade, but isn’t involved in anything else, that can be stopped,
It works in other countries and in other US industries, why not in Shipping?
Have you thought of getting the manual translated to Bahasa Indonesia?
Or do you help them by explaining in that language?
Because we have a government corrupted to the level of a third world kleptocracy.
we had a large list of common words translated and some had 10 different words in bahasa.
but
do Boeing and Airbus make bahasa cockits, NO
stcw-95 means you were trained in English and all exams in English
Not so. Standard Maritime English is a subject, with written exam. Other subjects are taught and exams held in the national language.
There are no IMO approved curriculum for DPO course. Such courses are NOT a STCW subject and NOT taught in Maritime Schools. Nor are the instructors on such courses approved by IMO.
It is up to the individual Flag State Authorities to set the standard, but most rely upon NI to ensure that the courses are relevant and the instructors qualified:
How many languages are available from manufacturers of navigation and control for use in labeling and nomenclature purposes on DP or airplane consoles? I personally have no idea. I’ve only seen English on Kongsberg but for all I know they also supply Swahili.
Sorry, I forgot English isn’t your first language. I wasn’t saying you were wrong, I was saying that the practice you were describing was wrong. Crews should have to come from the flag state and ships should have to be flagged where they are owned/operated.
I don’t know either. Kongsberg may be able to supply their equipment with manuals in any language requested. (Or the just say; here is a digital version, use Google Translator)
I remember being on a job in Norway (Gullfax C) when some smart (or nationalistic) people had decided that only Norwegian was going to be used for all documentation on this project.
I worked for a British company as Warranty Surveyor and demanded all documents in English for review at the London office.
But the most protests came from Norwegian suppliers of equipment and services. They had ALL their documentation in English and did not relish the expenses of having to translate everything.
The whole thing was forgotten after a while.
FOC shipping is often run by very experienced ship managers . The ships are built to well known classification societies and shares in the ship are offered for sale. In countries such as Germany there are tax benefits for high earning individuals such as dentists. The reputation of the ship management company is like everything else in finance is everything. It is in their interest to ensure that the ship is efficiently crewed and run.
You just describe the KG-system in Germany:
https://lawexplores.com/the-german-kg-system/
Which I suspect you know very well, having worked on ships under that system.
PS> The same KG system was very popular in Norway in the 1970/80s, but not so much these days.
You are correct and have you provided a wealth of detail for those unfamiliar with the system.