European Commission Sabotaged Watchkeeper Safety Issues

A study by the United Kingdom's Marine Accident Safety Branch (MAIB) last year found fatigue by watchkeepers has been caused by low manning levels, which are responsible for many ship accidents.

The EC intervention means that the IMO action on manning will be delayed for quite some time. Meantime, one of the many complaints by EU politicians is that the IMO acts slowly.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ISC) and the International Shipping Federation (ISF) have long supported increased manning levels because of safety at sea issues. The two bodies have voiced their opposition to the EC taking a greater role at the IMO.