The Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investments and the Ministry of Labour of Thailand, with support from the ILO, conducted a knowledge exchange discussion with South Africa and Portugal on port State inspections in countries that have already ratified the ILO Convention No. 188 on Work in Fishing.

The Work in Fishing Convention is a comprehensive instrument which sets out binding requirements relating to work on board fishing vessels, including occupational safety and health, medical care at sea and ashore, rest periods, written work agreements, and social security protection. It also aims to ensure that fishing vessels provide decent living conditions for fishers on board.

Through a virtual workshop, “Port State Inspection on Living and Working Conditions on Fishing Vessels”, held on 6 July, Selwyn Bailey, Chairperson of South Africa Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and Teresa Pargana, Labour Inspector and Head of the Department for Conception and Technical Support to the Inspection Activity of Portugal shared their experiences and lessons learnt.

South Africa, for example, based on the provisions of the Convention No. 18, did its first detainment of a foreign fishing vessel in 2018, following complaints from the crews about working conditions. A long list of problems were found, including lack of documentation, poor accommodation, insufficient food for fishers, and poor safety and health conditions on board.

Based on these lessons learnt, both Indonesia and Thailand acknowledged the importance of clear competencies and coordination between national agencies to support the regional port State control protocol. The two countries also aimed to develop a protocol for inspection aboard fishing vessels including foreign flagged vessels exercising the port state jurisdiction in compliance with ILO Convention No. 188.

Purbaya, Deputy of Maritime and Energy Sovereignty of the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry Maritime and Investment, emphasized the obligation of the national government to protect its fishers and personnel of fishing vessels at both national and foreign vessels. “I hope both Indonesia and Thailand can translate what we have learnt from Portugal and South Africa into actions to enrich the port State protocol with one common goal to end human trafficking, forced labour and slavery in the fishery industry,” he said.

Meanwhile Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director for ILO in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, appreciated the initiatives taken by Indonesia and Thailand as two maritime countries in Southeast Asia region. “The Convention No. 188 can be used as a tool to address problems of mistreatment of fishers that occurs on many fishing vessels and in many fisheries. One suggested protection measure is by conducting port inspection when fishing vessels arrive at ports,” she said.

The meeting was conducted as part of the Southeast Asia Forum for Fishers to End Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labour of Fishers (SEA Forum for Fishers), established by eight Southeast Asian countries in 2019. Facilitated by the ILO through its SEA Fisheries Project, the Forum aims to harmonise and strengthen existing efforts to end human trafficking and forced labour in fishing industry across Southeast Asia.

Funded by the US Department of State, the SEA Fisheries Project aims to combat human trafficking in the fisheries and seafood sectors by strengthening coordination and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing national and regional level anti-trafficking efforts in Southeast Asia region.