Security laws must be more receptive says OSG's Esposito.

(From Lloyds List)

Byline: Shipowners and regulators must work together, writes Rajesh Joshi in New York

A US-based shipowner's inability to rotate US-citizen crews at US harbours, due to enforcement actions by local ports or private facilities, reveals gaps in maritime security regimes that generally go unnoticed, a well-placed tanker executive has said.

'Clearly, maritime security laws, be they the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, the [US] Maritime Transportation Security Act or any other regime, need to be more receptive to seafarers, and how to handle issues that involve crews,' Louis Esposito, assistant vice president of chartering and operations at New York-based Overseas Shipholding Group, told Lloyd's List. Mr Esposito was expanding on his presentation at MarineLog's maritime security conference in Washington this week, which revealed that some of his firm's US-flag ships had encountered such situations at US ports, particularly in the US Gulf and the Pacific Northwest.

Without providing actual particulars, Mr Esposito cited examples where the local port authority, or private terminal operators, refused OSG permission to rotate its US crews at quayside, or to bring third party contractors on board to conduct routine repairs or maintenance.

OSG was told either to perform this work at anchorage, or to bring launches alongside on the starboard side to lower and raise personnel that needed to get on and off.

These episodes involved wet cargo as well as bulk ships, Mr Esposito said.