Civilian Seafarers Should Not Pay the Price of Wars

As the International Maritime Workers’ Union (IMU), we are deeply concerned about the severe impact of the conflicts recently experienced in various maritime regions around the world, particularly in the Black Sea, on commercial maritime transport.

In recent days, Turkish-flagged and Turkish-owned merchant vessels have come under attack in the Black Sea; innocent seafarers have been killed or injured, vessels have been damaged, the marine environment has been polluted, and the international trade chain has been disrupted. This is not only a problem for the maritime sector but also a common concern for all humanity. Seafarers are not armed combatants; they are civilian workers who ensure the uninterrupted continuation of international trade. The millions of seafarers serving aboard the merchant fleet that carries approximately 90 percent of world trade are not parties to any war. Recently, seafarers working in some high-risk areas have been offered additional payments and “war risk bonus” payments due to increasing security threats. Of course, the economic compensation for risk can be considered; however, no payment can be an alternative to a person’s right to life.

The maritime profession is not a profession in which wages are negotiated according to the risk of death. Seafarers perform their duties to provide for their families and to ensure the continuation of global trade. No civilian worker should be forced to bear the invisible cost of war. Within the framework of international humanitarian law, the protection of unarmed and civilian merchant vessels is a fundamental obligation. Attacks against merchant vessels that do not constitute military targets are unacceptable acts that disregard human life, regardless of where or by whom they are carried out.

There is no difference in terms of victimization between the attacks taking place in the Black Sea and the attacks against merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and off the coast of Nigeria. Each of them threatens the right to life of seafarers and the security of global trade.

As the International Maritime Workers’ Union (IMU), our call is clear:

Merchant vessels and civilian seafarers must be effectively protected in all areas of conflict. International maritime organizations, flag states, port states, insurance companies and all relevant authorities must act together. The economic and humanitarian burden of wars must not be imposed on civilian seafarers. Maritime security is not only a military issue; it is also a global responsibility in terms of human rights, the right to work and the sustainability of international trade. Seafarers are not parties to war. Seafarers are simply the invisible heroes who keep humanity’s shared trade and life functioning. Even war has laws and a conscience. Unarmed merchant vessels and civilian seafarers must be inviolable.