ASIAN SHIPOWNERS FORUM
SHIP INSURANCE AND LIABILITY COMMITTEE
c/o Hong Kong Shipowners Association
12th Floor, Queen’s Centre, 58 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2520 0206 Fax: (852) 2529 8246 Email: hksoa@hksoa.org

PRESS RELEASE
22nd March 2011
ASIAN SHIPOWNERS DEMAND FAIR TREATMENT FOR SEAFARERSAt the 16th Interim meeting of the Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF) Ship Insurance and Liability
Committee (SILC), held in Hong Kong on 22nd March 2011, representatives of Asianshipowners expressed their strong concern about the lack of fair treatment by an increasing
number of Government agencies given to seafarers following a maritime incident.
“Seafarers deserve our deep respect”, said the Chairman of the meeting, Robert A. Ho, “as it isthrough their experience and professionalism that the safe and environmentally friendly
transport of world trade is ensured. It would appear that it is a lack of understanding of ship
operations and a lack of respect for seafarers that seems to result in their unfair treatment whensomething goes wrong.”
The meeting discussed incidents where seafarers had effectively been held hostage while theauthorities carried out lengthy investigations, and other incidents where seafarers had been held
until impossibly high bail amounts had been set, justified by the authorities as beingcommensurate with the environmental and economic damage resulting from the incident.
The Committee urges all Governments to follow both the Joint IMO/ILO Guidelines on the Fair
Treatment of Seafarers in the Event of a Maritime Accident and the IMO Casualty Investigation
Code. The Committee further demands that all Governments treat seafarers as professional
global workers, giving them the respect that such an essential job deserves.
In a related issue, the Committee fully endorses the content of the Press Statement resulting
from the meeting of the ASF Safe Navigation and Environment Committee (SNEC), which met
on 18th March 2011.
“It is unacceptable, in this day and age, that 587 seafarers1 are currently being held hostage bypirates”, said Robert A. Ho. The Committee urges Governments through the United Nations toincrease their efforts to protect shipping and find a permanent resolution to the problem.
The 16th Interim meeting of the ASF Ship Insurance and Liability Committee was hosted by theHong Kong Shipowners Association, and held in Hong Kong under the chairmanship of RobertA. Ho, Fairmont Shipping (HK) Ltd. The Chairman of the SILC, Mr. George Chao, was unable
1IMB Piracy Reporting Centre figures, 22nd March 2011to attend due to illness, and members sent their best wishes for his speedy recovery. Attending
the meeting were the ASF Secretary-General and delegates from the shipowner associations inChina, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Korea, The Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. TheCommittee expressed their deep sympathy to the delegates from Japan, who were not able toattend the meeting. During the meeting, the Committee also discussed other issues of concern tothe Committee.
The Asian Shipowners’ Forum is a voluntary organization of the shipowner associations of Australia, China,
Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea and the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Associations
comprising shipping associations of ASEAN countries. The aims of the ASF are to promote the interests of the
Asian shipowning industries. Between annual ASF meetings, the ongoing work is carried out by the five Standing
Committees; the Shipping Economics Review Committee, the Seafarers Committee, the Ship Recycling Committee,
the Safe Navigation and Environment Committee, and the Ship Insurance and Liability Committee. It has been
estimated that ASF owners and managers control and operate nearly 50% of the world's cargo carrying fleet.

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