As International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions requirements continue throughout the IMO Emission Control Areas (ECA), they are also forcing postponement of many new construction decisions as vessel owners and operators continue to tread cautiously along the path forward. The Marpol Annex VI program looked to correct emissions requirements while working with petroleum fuels. Technology developers continue best efforts to advance long-term solutions to reach the latest IMO zero emissions greenhouse gas (GHG) goals of 2050. Those GHG decisions and regulations are working to move away from oil and press forward with alternative sources of energy and fuels. Two paths that simply require a hybrid connection similar to the procedures the automotive industry has followed. The combination of those two paths will ease the decision process for owners and manufacturers. It is our opinion that the oil faucet will not be shut off as quickly as the IMO hopes. It is a simple statement based upon economics. And with those economics, watch as zero emissions achievements become a financial model using carbon credits rather than technical solutions to meet IMO 2050 goals.

The IMO emissions standards are commonly referred to as Tier I through III standards. The Tier I standards were defined in the 1997 version of Annex VI and they are now ancient history in the discussion. The stricter Tier II/III standards were introduced by Annex VI amendments adopted in 2008—nearly 13 years ago. There’s been 13 years to address sulfur, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter in the air by regulation, and another 30 years to meet the IMO goals of 50% reduction of GHG by 2050.

IMO Tier II represented an approximate 20% reduction in NOx from Tier I and was applied to engines greater than 130 kW. The standard took effect in 2011 for all areas that adopted IMO Tier I (keep track through this article of the time that has passed to meet some of the simplest of requirements along with the new projection for the reduction of GHG to meet “zero emissions”).

Is the emissions goal post moving for most owners and manufacturers? You bet it is. A long-term goal has many moving parts.

The main changes to the original Marpol Annex VI have involved progressive reductions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter emissions globally. The introduction of ECAs was added worldwide to reduce those air pollutants to protect the coastal population areas. The latest tier (whether you are counting IMO or EPA designations) limits NOx emissions standard with enforcement from January 1, 2016 in ECAs as per the MEPC 66 meeting. Most do not understand that those requirements are only in the ECA. When returning to blue water, propulsion engines are not required to meet those NOx strict emissions standards. But to reduce GHG to zero and meet MEPC 77, engines will have to.

In many of the Far East yards the IMO 2016 requirements were circumvented by building keel blocks in inventory and having them certified as constructed prior to January of 2016. In turn offering them into new construction utilizing IMO Tier II propulsion engine standards as Tier III solutions were not available. We are in the new construction yards worldwide each day. Tier II engines and ships are being delivered well into 2021.

The regulatory loopholes were also applied within the domestic shipbuilding market. During the 2016 regulatory period there were no manufacturers developing IMO Tier III or EPA Tier 4 engines under 600Kw that could comply with the standards. In fact, larger propulsion engines utilized in the domestic workboat, tug and offshore operations only had EMD and General Electric to choose from to comply. That said, complying with propulsion did not relieve the domestic owners from meeting the requirements with generators and auxiliary engines. As a result, those newbuilds were restricted to only U.S. domestic operation. Operating in Canada or the Caribbean added a risk of losing that domestic “Tier” protection for those trading outside the zone. From a financial perspective or an investment opportunity, this created another hiccup in exit strategy should domestic markets fail.

(Photo: Robert Kunkel)

Owners have been forced to deal with the continuing regulation amendments when making decisions with assets that were financially modeled to trade anywhere between 20 and 40 years. The latest IMO revision to the EEDI calculation and EEXI amendments has also affected that decision process. In a recent construction supervision project in 2020 the owners delivered six chemical tankers that were a continuation of a design and delivery in 2016. Imagine their confusion when the 2016 vessels were determined to have a better energy rating than the 2020 builds because of changes to the EEDI and EEXI calculations. How these calculations will drift into smaller tug and offshore markets is yet to be seen.

Under Tier regulations engines are tested using distillate diesel fuels, even though residual heavy fuels are usually used in real life operation. Under GHG “zero emissions” projections we are now looking at methanol, liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia, all of which have different energy densities that affect consumption, tank space and Kw /HP requirements. The range is significant with marine gasoil (MGO) at an energy density of 35.9 to hydrogen at 8.5. Beyond those performance issues look to the cradle to grave environmental impact when processing and developing those new fuels when you are attempting to reach environmental goals in your company.

In our marine applications we have worked toward a hybrid combination of battery technology and fossil fuel very similar to how the automotive industry has developed. It will be difficult to move directly into full “marine EV” in the near future, and though we are supporters of alternative fuels and electric propulsion we understand the infrastructure requirements and costs involved. It is hard to look beyond the energy density of distillate low sulfur MGO after all the work the engine manufacturers have completed to meet the Tier requirements. A hybrid application allows full “EV” battery operation within the ECA or around coastal populations with zero emissions and combustion engine operation when extending the battery range. Energy storage is important when working toward those alternative fuels or a complete movement away from internal combustion engines. That hybrid application is in operation along the New England coast with our company First Harvest Navigation (a documentary on the project is available on YouTube).

The IMO goal of 50% reduction of GHG gases by 2050 requires all of these technical issues to be answered, built, tested and developed. Historically, regulation has never driven the marine markets. Private investment has been that leader and the investment path must have the ethics to take emissions reduction into the boardroom. Without that corporate drive you will see the application of carbon credits used to meet the 2050 goals.

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A  man in a hamster wheel-like vessel washed ashore near the Old Salt Park beach approach in Flagler County, Florida. He said he was on the way to New York.

“[The vessel’s] sole occupant was with the vessel and advised that he came to shore because he was missing some of his equipment,” Flagler Sheriff’s report from July 24 reads.

In a tweet on Saturday, Flagler Sheriff said the occupant of the vessel was safe with no injuries.

“The occupant advised he left the St. Augustine area [the day before] to head to [New York], but came across some complications that brought him back to shore,” Flagler Sheriff tweeted.

St. Augustine is a city on the northeast coast of Florida.

The U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and arrived on scene to take over the case and ensure the vessel/occupant are USCG compliant for their safety moving forward, Flagler Sheriff tweeted.

According to Google Maps, to reach New York from St. Augustine by car, it takes 14 hr 58 minutes (970.7 mi / 1562,2 km).

Unfortunately, Google doesn’t offer an option to calculate the St. Augustine-New York ETA when one is using a hamster-wheel-like contraption.

Also, according to Google Maps, the device was floating away from New York direction, as the location where it washed ashore is south of S. Augustine.

The Guardian reported Monday that the man behind the attempt was Reza Baluchi. His website, runwithreza.com describes him as an ultra-marathon runner.

His Youtube channel also includes a video of a similar attempt, titled “Florida Man Running to Bermuda.”

Media reports found online claim that he tried to reach Bermuda at least three times, but these attempts were apparently stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard. See below:

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There could be a shortage of merchant sailors to crew commercial ships in five years if action is not taken to boost numbers, raising risks for global supply chains, a report said on Wednesday.

The shipping industry is already struggling with crewing shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that will exacerbate expected labour supply problems over the next few years, according to the study published by trade associations BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

The Delta variant of the coronavirus has hit hard in parts of Asia and prompted many nations to cut off land access for sailors. That’s left captains unable to rotate weary crews and about 100,000 seafarers stranded at sea beyond their stints, in a flashback to 2020 and the height of lockdowns when over 200,000 merchant sailors were stuck on ships.

The study released by BIMCO and ICS estimated that 1.89 million seafarers were operating over 74,000 vessels in the global merchant fleet.

The Seafarer Workforce Report, which was last published in 2015, predicted that an additional 89,510 officers would be needed by 2026, based on projections for growth in shipping trade, and said there was a current shortfall of some 26,240 certified officers, indicating that demand for seafarers had outpaced supply in 2021.

“We are far beyond the safety net of workforce surplus that protects the world’s supply of food, fuel and medicine,” said ICS secretary general Guy Platten.

“Without urgent action from governments the supply of seafarers will run dry.”

The report said more emphasis was needed to recruit and retain seafarers.

Platten, citing industry surveys, added that as few as 20% of seafarers around the world had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and urged governments to prioritize “essential transport workers for vaccinations”.

“Combined with a surge in demand for labour, this is pushing global supply chains to breaking point,” he added.

“Countries which supply most of the world’s seafarers, such as the Philippines, Indonesia and India have limited access to COVID-19 vaccines, threatening further supply chain instability without rapid action at a national level.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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Japanese shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) is working on a project for research and development of a sail (Delta Sail) that can be mounted on ships’ cargo handling cranes and similar equipment to boost propulsion force.

MOL’s subsidiary MOL Drybulk, Oshima Shipbuilding, and Iknow Machinery are part of the R&D project which aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vessels while underway, by unfurling the sail placed on ship such as triangular parts of existing cargo handling cranes to use offshore winds to provide additional propulsion force.

“Many MOL Drybulk-operated vessels are equipped with cargo handling cranes, and the company plans to study the installation of the Delta Sail on a broad range of ship types, such as bulkers, wood chip carriers, and multi-purpose vessels,” MOL said.

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“The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”

The 1982 Law of the Sea Convention recognizes the rights and freedoms of all nations to engage in traditional uses of the sea. According to the Department of Defense 2020 Annual Freedom of Navigation Report to Congress, “Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims—or incoherent legal theories of maritime entitlement—that are inconsistent with international law pose a threat to the legal foundation of the rules-based international order.”

Not all nations adhere to this principle. Consequently, the United States is “committed to confronting this threat by challenging excessive maritime claims,” the report said.

The U.S. Navy routinely asserts those right by conducting “Freedom of Navigation” operations (FONOPS) around the world.  There are a number of claims around the globe with which the U.S. does not agree or accept.   Last year U.S. forces met 28 excessive maritime claims by 19 countries, the DoD report said.  This is perhaps most visible in the western Pacific, where the United States Navy continues to assert its right to operate freely in international waters by conducting FONOPS in the South China Sea, particularly in the vicinity of the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

USS Benfold (DDG 65) conducted a FONOP in the South China Sea on July 12, and “asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law,” according to a Navy statement.  “This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the unlawful restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam and also by challenging China’s claim to strait baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands.”

According to a statement from the U.S. Seventh Fleet, U.S. forces have operated in the South China Sea on a daily basis, and have done so for more than a century. “They routinely operate in close coordination with like-minded allies and partners who share our commitment to uphold a free and open international order that promotes security and prosperity. All of our operations are designed to be conducted professionally and in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows –regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events.”

The Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) claimed they “chased away” the Benfold.   According to Tian Junli, a spokesman for the Southern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), “The US military’s actions seriously violated China’s sovereignty and security, seriously damaged the peace and stability of the South China Sea and seriously violated international law and the norms of international relations – more ironclad proof it is engaging in navigational hegemony to cause the militarization of the South China Sea.  We strongly condemn and resolutely oppose this, and we urge the US side to immediately stop their provocative actions and to strictly control their maritime and air activities. Otherwise, the US side will need to bear all consequences that arise from this.”

The U.S. Navy said the PRC’s statement about Benfold’s mission was incorrect. “USS Benfold conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters. The operation reflects our commitment to uphold freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Benfold did here. Nothing PRC says otherwise will deter us.”

A U. S. Navy press statement said that the PLAN statement was just “the latest in a long string of PRC actions to misrepresent lawful U.S. maritime operations and assert its excessive and illegitimate maritime claims at the expense of its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea. The PRC’s behavior stands in contrast to the United States’ adherence to international law and our vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region. All nations, large and small, should be secure in their sovereignty, free from coercion, and able to pursue economic growth consistent with accepted international rules and norms.”

Furthermore, the Navy statement said, international law does not permit continental States, like China, to establish baselines around entire dispersed island groups. “With these baselines, China has attempted to claim more internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf than it is entitled to under international law. By conducting this operation, the United States demonstrated that these waters are beyond what China can lawfully claim as its territorial sea, and that China’s claimed straight baselines around the Paracel Islands are inconsistent with international law.”

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Crowley Maritime has secured a multi-year, $638 million contract for Vessel Acquisition Management (VAM) by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD).

“Crowley’s strategic acquisition and vessel management service will assist MARAD in the enhancement of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), helping reduce the overall age of the fleet and increase ship reliability. The fleet executes U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) sealifts,” Crowley Maritime said.

“To carry out the contract, Crowley will use a new, proprietary information technology system to assess, research, and make purchasing recommendations,” the company said,

Once the vessels are acquired, Crowley will oversee any required re-flagging, re-classification, modification, and maintenance to ensure they are fit for service in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard, American Bureau of Shipping, and Defense Department requirements. After ships enter the fleet, Crowley will maintain and operate the vessels on behalf of MARAD.

“A successful VAM program is important to the U.S. as a maritime nation, the maritime industry and Crowley as we mutually invest in the strength of our nation,” said Mike Golonka, vice president, government ship management in Crowley Solutions. “We want to share our innovative, successful approach to vessel ownership and lifecycle engineering with the U.S. government.”

Crowley will use the web-based platform to perform data analysis of the lifecycle of vessels and their components. The SHIPFAXTM platform will provide data-driven recommendations based on essential service requirements, as well as important factors to successfully manage and operate vessels.

“Crowley will execute the contract with Stena RoRo, Serco and LCE (Life Cycle Engineering), who bring specialized and unique experiences and services in acquisitions, naval ship architecture, engineering and applied technology,” Crowley said.

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PUBLISHED JUL 23, 2021 9:40 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

A court in Lagos, Nigeria has sentenced 10 pirates to prison for the kidnapping of the crew of the fishing vessel Hailufeng II last year.

The Chinese fishing trawler Hailufeng 11 was captured by pirates on May 14, 2020 within the Ivorian EEZ. She had 18 crewmembers aboard, including  eight Chinese nationals, seven Ghanaians and three Ivorians.

Multiple Gulf of Guinea coastal states participated in tracking the vessel using mechanisms set up under the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security. In a rare victory, the Nigerian Navy was able to interdict the Hailufeng 11 at a position about 140 nautical miles south of Lagos, arriving about two days after the hijacking.

The Nigerian patrol vessel NNS Nguru conducted the intercept, and when it approached, the pirates refused to stop. The Nigerian Navy’s Special Boat Service conducted an opposed boarding while underway at about nine knots. The rescue was successful and all 18 hostages were recovered. 10 pirates were arrested and the vessel was safely escorted into Lagos.

An arrest and trial for piracy is a rare development in West Africa, the maritime kidnapping capital of the world. The 12-year prison sentence sends a new message to Nigerian pirate action groups, which have long operated with impunity from bases in the lightly-governed, economically underdeveloped Niver River Delta.

In addition to their prison sentences, the convicts will have to pay $600 per count for three counts of piracy each. They are expected to appeal their convictions.

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PUBLISHED JUL 28, 2021 3:27 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

In the next phase of the COVID-19 regiments, the UK government announced that it is going to again permit some international travel, including cruises, as well as reducing the restrictions to enter England for individuals that have received vaccinations under approved programs in Europe and the US. The announcement is seen as a boost both to the struggling cruise industry and will provide added revenues to English ports.

Starting in August, international travelers arriving from the US and European countries except France will no longer be required to quarantine in England. They will still be required to complete both a pre-departure test for COVID-19 and a test two days after arrival. The rules, however, still require a 10-day quarantine for arrivals from France, and those vaccinated in the US will be required to prove US residency.

UK Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps also Tweeted the news that the government had decided to permit cruise ships sailing from England to visit international destinations. Cruise ships have been prohibited from international destinations since the summer of 2020, but starting in May were permitted to operate sea voyages or trips to ports in the UK. The current decision builds on a memorandum of understanding with the cruise industry on safely building back operations.

“Following the close monitoring of epidemiological evidence, gained through the restart of the domestic cruise industry earlier this year, the UK government has also confirmed the go ahead for international cruise sailings to restart from England,” the Transportation and Health and Social Care departments said in their joint statement. The government is instructing travelers to remain aware of the dangers and take precautions, but is reducing its previous guidance to avoid cruise travel.

The cruise lines immediately hailed the decision. While firms indicated they would complete their current programs of domestic cruises before adding cruises to Europe, several have already announced plans for international cruises starting in the fall in anticipation of the revision in the policy. Some cruise lines said they might start adding international ports to some of their current cruises.

“We’ve taken great strides on our journey to reopen international travel and today is another important step forward. Whether you are a family reuniting for the first time since the start of the pandemic or a business benefiting from increased trade this is progress we can all enjoy” said Shapps. However, oppositions leaders immediately criticize the policy as risky while Shapps highlighted that the opposition had called for similar steps a month ago.

The government is also relaxing the testing requirements for certain critical workers, who by the nature of their work do not mix with the public or leave their vehicles helping free up running times by removing undue burdens.

The British Ports Association also welcomed the news of the relaxing of travel restrictions to England highlighting that tourism and cruises are an important activity to ports, as well as the coastal regions. Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive at the British Ports Association said, “We are delighted the UK Government has today announced that international cruise can restart in England from August 2, after a lengthy 16 months of no international sailings. The successful restart of domestic cruises in England two months ago has demonstrated how ports, cruise lines, government, and health officials have been able to work together to ensure the health and safety of passengers, crew, and destinations are an absolute priority. We are hopeful that the devolved administrations will follow suit shortly as we begin the gradual move towards normality.”

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PUBLISHED JUL 28, 2021 11:13 PM BY THE STRATEGIST

[By Amin Saikal]

The Middle East is one of the driest regions in the world. The scarcity of water has often been touted as a source of national and interstate disputes in the area. Some scholars have predicted for some time the possibility of deadly national altercations and regional clashes over the distribution of water resources in parts of the region. Although no full-blown war has erupted so far, two current episodes illustrate this point: public protests in the Iranian province of Khuzestan and the growing discord between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over water dispensation from the Nile River. With climate change causing more droughts, the potential for conflict over water cannot be underestimated.

In recent days, the oil-rich southwestern province of Khuzestan, largely populated by Iran’s Arab minority, has experienced public protests over a shortage of water as the province and all of Iran have been hit by one of the worst droughts in modern times. The protests have rapidly spread into other parts of Iran, which has come on top of the damage wrought by Covid-19 and US sanctions. Public anger is mounting against the Iranian government, which has been unable to provide remedial responses. The security forces’ heavy-handed treatment of the protesters has resulted in several deaths, with many injured and scores arrested.

While Iran is unlikely to go to war over water with any of its neighbors, the same cannot be firmly said about some of those downstream on the Nile River—the second longest, if not the longest, river in the world, yet with a relatively small reservoir capacity. Ethiopia has been getting closer to a serious dispute with Egypt and Sudan ever since Addis Ababa decided in 2011 to build what it calls the hydroelectric Grand Renaissance Dam for securing more water for developmental purposes. Egypt, which regards the Nile River as its ‘lifeline’, and Sudan, which has concerns about the security of its own supply, have seriously objected to Addis Ababa’s unilateral start of the second phase of the dam project.

The filling of the reservoir of the second phase over a period of two years will affect the amount of water to which Egypt claims to be entitled. Under a bilateral Egypt–Sudan agreement in 1959, the two sides agreed to increase Egypt’s share to 55.5 billion cubic metres and Sudan’s to 18.5 billion. But the agreement isn’t recognized by Ethiopia. It has refused to budge on its determination to go ahead with the second phase, irrespective of serious objections by Cairo and Khartoum.

US mediation in 2020 and ongoing similar action by the African Union have failed to produce any result. In early July 2021, the issue was put to the United Nations Security Council to consider one submission by Ethiopia and another by Egypt and Sudan for a resolution. But a conclusion couldn’t be reached. One of the council’s permanent members claimed that the body didn’t have sufficient expertise to deal with the issue. The council as a whole urged the three parties to avoid unilateral action and reach a negotiated settlement. In a recent article, former Egyptian foreign minister and ambassador to the US Nabil Fahmy warned that ‘sooner or later confrontation seems inevitable, unless we see a sudden and unexpected change in Ethiopia’s position’.

Fahmy has echoed a view that a number of scholars have held about the future possibility of war in the Middle East over water rather than oil. Miriam Lowi’s 1995 book, Water and power, is very telling. The Khuzestan and Ethiopian dam episodes alert us to the urgency of yet another issue that adds to volatility in the Middle East while the tragedy of climate change remains unaddressed.

Amin Saikal is adjunct professor of social sciences at the University of Western Australia, author of “Iran rising: the survival and future of the Islamic Republic, and editor of Iran and the Arab world: a turbulent region in transition.”

This article appears courtesy of The Strategist and is reproduced here in an abbreviated form. It may be found in its original form here.

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PUBLISHED JUL 27, 2021 11:38 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

The International Transport Workers’ Federation is calling on the government of Mauritius to release the crew of the grounded bulker Wakashio, which struck a reef near Mahebourg one year ago.

“This week marks the one year anniversary of the grounding of the MV Wakashio and the environmental catastrophe associated with it. This week also marks one year since the Mauritian authorities have held members of the crew and prevented them from leaving the Republic, most have been effectively detained without charge,” said David Heindel, ITF Seafarers’ Section chair.

Heindel said the ITF and its affiliated seafarers’ unions have concerns about the treatment of the crew of the Wakashio by Mauritian authorities. Following the grounding of the  Wakashio, Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar and Chief Officer Tilakaratna Subodha were arrested. In August 2020 they were charged with endangering safe navigation, and they have been detained in prison since their arrest without bail. Most of the remainder of the crew have been detained under “house arrest” and kept in a local hotel, according to ITF, in what appears to be an effort to keep them on hand as witnesses in a future trial. Some of these crewmembers – who are essentially held without charges – had already been on board Wakashio for more than 12 months due to the crew change crisis and have now been away from their families for over two years.

“The ITF supports thorough, independent investigations of the factors relating to any maritime incident [but] we are concerned about the lack of appropriate legal proceedings taking place regarding the Wakashio crew,” Heindel said. “Access to justice and fair treatment by the authorities are fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We believe the treatment experienced by the crew of the Wakashio violates their human rights.”

According to ITF, the handling of the Wakashio incident fits a troubling pattern of “criminalization of seafarers” in the event of a marine casualty. The phenomenon has gained attention at ILO and IMO, and Heindel suggests that it should be shipowners rather than crewmembers who should be held accountable.

“We know that seafarers are seen by some officials as convenient bargaining chips in efforts to hold shipowners to account for maritime accidents caused by issues like a lack of maintenance. This is especially the case when a state finds it difficult to locate and prosecute irresponsible shipowners,” said Heindel. “Seafarers are being cynically targeted all over the world by officials just for doing our jobs.”

One new frontier: the criminalization of rescue at sea, as attempted in Italy under former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini and now potentially a concern in the UK under Home Secretary Priti Patel. Her proposed Nationality and Borders Bill new imposes criminal penalties for “knowingly facilitating” the transport of an asylum seeker to the UK, potentially including the delivery of rescuees to a UK port. Though immigration minister Chris Philp has promised that the section is not intended to apply to genuine sea rescue by the lifesaving organization RNLI, no language has been added to create a carve-out for SOLAS-mandated rescue at sea by good samaritan vessels.

“Under this new law, if seafarers save a person seeking asylum from drowning, they face life imprisonment. If they let them drown, then they could face prosecution in every country that has ratified [SOLAS] in addition to carrying the life-long emotional burden of knowing they could have saved a life, but did not,” said Heindel. “In coming years, the world will likely see a rise in the number of persons seeking refuge from the effects of climate change, including those people fleeing fires, floods, rising sea levels and drought-induced famine. Now is not the time to be criminalizing seafarers for saving lives.”

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