New Seafarer Identity Documentation and visa restrictions are causing Ghanaian seafarers to lose their jobs, that is according to the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA).
The management of the GMA made this disclosure at a short ceremony to host the Deputy Minister for Transport, Dorcas Affo-Toffey during an official tour.
According to the Authority, Ghanaian seafarers rank among the top five most sought-after maritime professionals globally, however, recent visa restrictions imposed by the United States and the insistence on the new Seafarer Identity Documentation by countries such as Brazil have led to the termination of some contracts and the reluctance to hire Ghanaian labour.
While commending government for resolving the U.S. visa issue, Director General of the Authority, Naval Capt. Kamal-Deen Ali (Retired), underscored the hash impact of the restriction.
“When the US Visa restriction was introduced, most of our seafarers were now losing their jobs. Either their contracts were being terminated or their ability to renew was becoming a challenge. You must have a Visa for major countries when you are being employed as a seafarer and US is one of the major countries. In the case of crew ships as many as over 50% of crew ships will definitely dock in the United States several times in a year so when you are a seafarer on board then you must have a visa.”
“The maritime sector is international. Luckily for us in Ghana our seafarers are counted as one of the best in the world. We rank in the first five.” Capt. Rtd Kamal Deen noted.
He expressed optimism that a resolution will soon be reached regarding the Brazil situation since Brazil is also one of the countries with a high docking record of shipping lines.
“For the Brazil situation it has to do with a special card that comes with a chip. It is part of global requirement but we are yet to migrate unto that system as a country. So, we’d appreciate a waiver which will allow other identification documents while the country works to migrate to that platform.”
Given the extensive oversight responsibilities of the Authority as mandated by the Ghana Maritime Authority Act, 2002; monitoring and coordinating inland and offshore maritime activities has become increasingly costly. The Authority called on the government for support to ensure effective maritime control and regulation.
“In the long term, we believe that we’d need government support especially in the area of clearing tree stumps in our in-land waters, which often causes accidents and the mapping of inland water areas.”
Meanwhile, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, Deputy Minister for Transport, assured the Authority of her full support and commitment to continuous engagement.
The visit by Deputy Minister forms part of efforts to familiarize herself with agencies under her ministry.
Some of the core duties of the Ghana Maritime Authority include Maritime Safety & Security, Seafarer regulation and certification to ensuring compliance with global standards marine pollution control, just to list a few.
The Authority said it will continue to enhance collaboration with other maritime bodies such as the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Shippers Authority, the Ghana Navy, Volta River Authority and others to improve Ghana’s maritime industry.
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