Shipowners and unions of the shipping speed up the nations EU to face the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean



Shipowning associations ECSA and ICS and the labor organizations ETF and ITF have sent to a combined letter to the leaders of all the 28 Member States of the European Union in order to speed up the start of immediate collective actions in order to face the increasing humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean Sea and in order to evidence that the phenomenon of the migrants who cross these waters, with the consequent problem of the rescues, is by now outside control. The four organizations have denounced that sussiste the serious risk of ulterior a most serious loss of human lives unless the Member States of the EU do not assume provisions with absolute urgency: "it is literally - they have evidenced - a issue of life or dead women".

From 2014 - they have emphasized the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), the European Transport Workers ‘Federation (ETF), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) - thousands of people from Africa and the Middle East, embarking themselves on floating overcrowded and do not adapt to the scope, have tried dangerous crossing of the sea in order to land in Europe. In the last year beyond 40.000 people they have been drafts in salvo from mercantile ships and more than 3.500 have died.

The four organizations have remembered, moreover, than many of these migrants they are to the mercé of the dealers of human beings.

ECSA, ETF, ICS and ITF have invited all the States of the EU to giving to immediate precedence to the increase of the destined resources to the operations of search and aid in the Mediterranean, in consideration - they have explained - of the elevated and increasing number of potentially dangerous rescues that they are carried out by the mercantile ships.

"The field of the marine transport - they have specified ECSA, ETF, ICS and ITF - totally assumes own responsibilities in saving anyone is in danger in sea, but rimarca that it is unacceptable that the international community face more and more confidence on the mercantile ships and their crews in order to undertake an always increasing number of rescues that are more and more of wide capacity. Single ships - they have evidenced the four organizations - have had to save at a time until 500 people, placing serious health hazards and the well-being of the marine ones, from which us it would not have to be attended that they make cargo of such situations".

"The Navies and the Coastgards of those Member States of the European Union that is in front line in the Mediterranean - have continued ECSA, ETF, ICS and ITF - they have completed remarkable efforts in order to face the problem. However, since the situation is getting worse, the industry of the shipping considers that us it must be a correspondent increase of the resources state financial institutions destined to the operations of search and aid in order to tackle to this serious humanitarian crisis. Practically this means that all the Member States of the EU must share the burden financial, to the aim to ask for the loss of others thousands of human lives".

ECSA, ETF, ICS and ITF have suggested moreover that "the European Union and the international community must supply to the alternative refugees and average migrants in order to obtain safety, without having to risk the life crossing the Mediterranean on uncertain boats".

Shipowners and unions have asked that the issue on the agenda comes therefore mail of the European Council and the relevant reunions of the ministers of the EU.