RI told to crack down on FOC cargo vessels

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) called on the government to take action against Indonesian cargo vessels flying flags of convenience (FOC), saying this practice did not contribute to the welfare of the country and abused workers.

"The rampant use of FOCs among Indonesian vessels serving sea transportation both home and overseas has cost Indonesia hundreds of billions of rupiah annually.

"It has also worsened the unemployment problem in the country since the vessels pay no taxes and employ Indonesian workers under contracts which are below international standards," Secretary General of London-based ITF John Wood said.

Wood made the call during a visit here Friday as part of ITF's world campaign against the use of FOCs in developing countries.

He said such a practice is rarely found in developed countries, which generally follow their own harsh laws due to annual anti-FOC campaigns that have been held for more than 60 years.

The ITF has identified 32 countries, including Panama and Liberia, as having facilitated the registration of FOC ships.

The Indonesian government issued a regulation on cabotage in 2005 in order to empower the national shipping industry. However, the regulation is yet to be effective because of weak supervision at ports and at sea. The regulation requires all Indonesian cargo and passenger ships to carry the national flag, putting them under Indonesian law.

Wood said that despite the regulation, it was quite difficult for domestic authorities to identify Indonesian FOC ships, but stressed it could be done through enhanced cooperation with seafarers and their labor unions.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Seafarers Association (KPI) Hanafi Rustandi said many Indonesian cargo vessels flying flags of convenience had exploited Indonesian workers because they could not be reached by labor laws.

"Thousands of Indonesian seafarers working on cargo vessels flying FOCs have been underpaid and employed in work places which lack health facilities and safety equipment. Despite Indonesian ownership, the vessels could not be sanctioned because of their FOC status," he said.

Hanafi, also a former captain, said the government should crack down on FOC ships operating in Indonesian waters and enforce the regulation requiring them to carry the national flag. "Such measures will force them to comply with the labor law and recruit more workers to be employed at seaports and in their ground offices," Hanafi said.

He said many unskilled workers, employed as laborers on FOC ships, had been paid below the minimum wage level and forced to work extra hours when engines on vessels were in trouble.