TIM eMagazine Vol.2 Issue 4
Vadym Mundriyevskyy
Working
together to
improve the
safety and
welfare of
seafarers
The International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) and the Confidential
Hazardous Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP Maritime) have entered into a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU).
T
he International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Net-
work (ISWAN) and the Confidential Hazardous Incident
Reporting Programme (CHIRP Maritime) have entered
into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) so that
the two organisations can work closer together to
help improve seafarers’ safety and welfare.
ISWAN regularly hears from seafarers about unsafe
working practices and in future will offer to assist seafarers to complete
the initial report to CHIRP highlighting unsafe working practices. This
will be particularly helpful for seafarers whose first language is not
English. Ray Barker, Head of Operations at ISWAN, reports that: ‘We
have always worked closely with CHIRP but this MoU will ensure
that CHIRP and ISWAN are not only supporting seafarers in their
own area of work but also looking out for them in other ways. We
believe that through our daily contact with seafarers we will be able
to increase the number of reports to CHIRP, particularly from seafarers
whose first language is not English. Through CHIRP’s investigation
and reporting processes we are confident that these reports will
lead to safety improvements in the maritime industry’.
CHIRP is regularly told by seafarers about personal and employment
problems and will now ask them if they want to be put in contact
with ISWAN’s SeafarerHelp team. If so, a SeafarerHelp officer will
contact the seafarer to offer assistance with personal and employment
problems, as well as emotional support and counselling if necessary.
Captain John Rose, Director of CHIRP Maritime, said ‘We are very
pleased with this MoU because it brings together two organisations
whose sole interests are to improve the lives of seafarers all around
the world. Working in partnership with likeminded organisations is a
great pleasure and together we can achieve more for the benefit of
seafarers than we can on our own.’
By working together in this way, CHIRP and ISWAN will help to
ensure that seafarers’ safety and welfare are given a high priority.
seafarerswelfare.org
To learn more about CHIRP and ISWAN, please visit our websites at:
www.chirpmaritime.org
www.seafarerswelfare.org
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