THERE are many unsavoury things that get written off in our industry as “just one of those things”, but the re-emergence of fake seafarers certification must not be allowed to fall into such unquestioning gaps.
The worrying discovery that incompetent masters and officers are still hiding behind illegitimate papers is a serious concern for the entire industry, not just those flags and port states involved in the few cases that have been uncovered.
In the course of detaining four separate vessels in the past week, Cypriot inspectors found virtually none of the officers aboard were fit for their jobs.
These were clearly not isolated incidents and we can assume that there are vessels out there today with crew on board who are not just substandard, but dangerously incompetent and incapable of carrying out their jobs safely.
Cyprus has rightly asked the Paris MoU to ensure the matter is high on the agenda at the next meeting of its Marine Advisory Board in October, but this is an issue that must be taken up at the highest levels across all port state control jurisdictions.
Cyprus’ senior surveyor Andreas Constantinou is right to assert that the situation is a disgrace that requires immediate attention.
