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'Early condemnation' of Sewol crew 'exacerbates' tragedy, says SRI

'Early condemnation' of Sewol crew 'exacerbates' tragedy, says SRI
Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI) has called for fairer treatment of seafarers in the face of what it calls a “rush to judgement” over Korean ferry Sewol’s captain and crew.

SRI’s executive director Deirdre Fitzpatrick, executive director of SRI stated: “The recent tragic incident of the South Korean ferry disaster Sewol, and the heart breaking loss of life, has been exacerbated by an apparent rush to judgment and early condemnation of the master and the crew.”

The Sewol's Master Lee Joon-seok as well as 14 other crew members have been arrested by South Korean authorities, with Korean President Park Geun-hye condemning their conduct as “akin to murder”.

The SRI made the statement as it praised IMO calls for the more widespread application of the 2006 Guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers in the event of a maritime accident.

An  SRI survey of IMO member states found that many would require further information from the IMO before passing the guidelines into law. The IMO Legal Committee implored further states to answer the survey, in order that responses to be analysed in time for the next Legal Committee meeting in 2015.

“Fair treatment of seafarers has been at the core of the work of SRI since its start up,” said Fitzpatrick. “What we seek is a fair and just process in accordance with the guidelines in every case.

“It is not just high profile incidents that affect seafarers. Seafarers face many risks crossing maritime boundaries on a daily basis, and knowing that they will be accorded fair and proper treatment will make the profession more attractive for new recruits.”

The criminalisation of seafarers involved in casualty and pollution incidents is a longstanding issue for the industry and is seen as discouraging young people from taking up a career as seafarers.