Operators of merchant tankers and other commercial vessels will face financial penalties under a new government resolution to address the rights of seafarers.
Cases of abandonment will come under tighter scrutiny after a new Cabinet resolution on governing marine wrecks and offending ships was passed.
A framework outlined by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure will protect the marine environment, maritime security and the rights of seafarers on board ships in UAE waters and ports.
Owners of abandoned vessels will now be hit with a Dh20,000 fine, with an additional Dh10,000 fine incurred for each seafarer on board.
If repeated, the fine will be doubled and the company licence cancelled.
“This resolution applies to all the national and foreign ships in the state waters and ports, if it meets the description of the wreck, is a violating ship, is unseaworthy [and] deteriorated, abandoned by its seafarers, owners or operator,” read the new law.
A ship operator will also be in breach of UAE regulations if “owners or operator do not pay the salary of seafarers for a period of two consecutive months or more, [fails to] provide provisions, supplies, and fuel to run the ships’ engines, fails to meet the minimum safe manning, has hazardous cargoes on board.”
Warships or public service ships owned by the federal and local governmental entities are exempt from the rules.
The new rules come into force on September 15.
“The resolution is another welcome step forward to address the pernicious issue of seafarer abandonment,” said David Hammond, chief executive of the Human Rights at Sea organisation.
“The true test will be the enforcement and its associated deterrent effect, combined with the need for the introduction of a state-level inspection regime.”
Several high-profile cases have emerged in recent years of seafarers abandoned at sea without pay and forced to live on basic rations for sometimes years at a time.
The most recent case involved the MT Iba, a shipping tanker anchored off the Sharjah coast that broke free in rough seas and washed ashore in Umm Al Quwain.
The plight of the five crew on board – some had been trapped on board for three years due to the operator’s financial problems – made headlines around the world.
They finally went home to their families after four years stranded in the Gulf.
The ship had sat anchored off the UAE coast since 2017 after owners Alco Shipping hit financial problems.
Financial records of the ship seen by The National in February showed an outstanding mortgage of $1.35m on the tanker, along with fees and fines in the UAE and Panama of more than $41,000.
Other debts included towing the ship for salvage for $150,000, agent fees of $12,000 for supplying crew, and outstanding port fees of $192,000.
The crew said they were collectively owed more than $200,000.
In another case of 'ghost' ships in UAE waters, the Federal Transport Authority in April 2019, relieved seafarers on board the MV Azraqmoiah tanker.
The ship was unable to leave its anchorage off the UAE coast since April 2017.
As per the new rules, owners will also be punished if fees and expenses are owed in towing a vessel into port, or insurance or berthing costs are unpaid.
The new regulations will also punish vessels sailing under forged or expired registration documents or without a recognised flag of a particular country, a practice deployed by rogue operators to skirt maritime laws, liabilities and crew obligations.
A new wrecks and violating ships committee is to be established under the ministry to regulate cases of abandonment and other rule breaches.
First offenders will be sent a written warning, with a demand for amendments within 60 days.
Owners will also be punished with a Dh20,000 fine for failing to provide adequate insurance to cover the welfare of the crew on board and the vessel’s general operations.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
More on animal trafficking
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
1.
|
United States
|
2.
|
China
|
3.
|
UAE
|
4.
|
Japan
|
5
|
Norway
|
6.
|
Canada
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
8.
|
Australia
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
More on Quran memorisation:
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.6-litre%2C%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E285hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E353Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh159%2C900%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.