ITAL LIBERA - seafaring in our times

[davidships]

Just come across the recent saga of Italian containership ITAL LIBERA, mentioned in a blog by Michael Grey, former editor of Lloyd's List:

The miserable two-month saga of the containership Ital Libera which ended this week in Italy, spoke volumes about attitudes to those who go down to the sea in ships in 2021. With her dead master aboard, cases of Covid among the crew, the ship was rejected by no fewer than eight countries when they requested leave to enter port and repatriate the corpse of her captain. In the end the operators very decently decided to bring the ship, with both the cargo and her late master, back to Italy.

It is one of the pandemic stories that will, at least among shipping people, probably be imprinted on the memory, long after the world gets back to normal. It ranks alongside incidents of ships being denied medical assistance by coastal states, and the glacial pace of vaccinating seafarers, while taking for granted the goods they carry in their ships. Will the history of this past couple of years even acknowledge the debt owed to the world

[pieter melissen]

Nowhere here or in the link supplied I read anything about efforts of the flag state (in this case Italy) to provide any assistance...

[Captain Ted]

Well, Out of my 47 years at sea I know that one thing is always the problem that the sailors in general do not have any lobby or representation. Every company is usually a lot talks and no follow up. Any country world wide gives a damn about the well being of sailors. Even the unions are only present when it is good for them otherwise they are  in my opinion a self serving bunch. As long there is no organization for all sailors world wide, Something like the IMO set up by the seafaring nations but independent from them ABSOLUTLY NOTHING will change.

[davidships]

Pieter - the article mentions that it was the Italian Foreign Ministry's approaches that were rebuffed.  The captain's widow, however, claims differently

"I asked for help - adds Patricia - but the only thing the Farnesina [the foreign ministry] did was open a diplomatic corridor to have Angelo's personal effects. We were left alone, the Defense checked if it was possible to send a military plane and the Navy if there was a ship nearby and perhaps organize a helicopter rescue. Nothing. I only received letters of condolence. The shipping company only covered the costs.[Corriere del Mezzogiorno, 13/6/2021]

I think that "solo versato la liquidazione" means "only covered the costs", in which case "only" seems rather grudging, as the costs all the delays and the diversion of the ship to Italy and its return to the trading area must have been very considerable. Perhaps my transl;ation is wrong, though.

[pieter melissen]

"The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was said to have been turned down by Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, the Philippines, and South Africa."

WAS SAID: By whom? Apparently there was not sufficient pressure to make any of these countries change their mind. But yes, I did overlook that statement.

And for the record: the article states that Evergreen is the owner of the EVER GIVEN. I think here we know that is owned by a company linked to the Imabari Group, the builder of the ship.