Antara News, Sunday, September 26, 2010 13:23 WIB
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian seafarers have supported a recent petition to combat piracy launched by several international organizations.
"Every country has been urged to care for and be proactive in the fight against piracy frequently taking ship crew members hostage," Hanafi Rustandi, the president of the Indonesian Seafarers` Association (KPI), said in a press statement received by ANTARA News on Sunday.
The End Piracy Now petition, presented on UN-designated World Maritime Day, September 23, was drawn up by a coalition of 14 seafarers` unions, trade organizations, insurance companies and other relevant bodies, with support from shipowners, trade unions and welfare organizations.
The International Transport Workers` Federation (ITF) has collected around 920 signatories from 185 countries to support the petition calling for action to end Somali piracy.
"Originally intended to achieve half a million signatures, it has far exceeded that figure and definitively proves that immediate action is needed," a statement of ITF said.
KPI and other world seafarers hoped that the petition could stop piracy, a maritime crime which has often made seafarers suffer, according to Hanafi.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has declared the 2010 as the Year of Seafarer. There are about 1.5 million seafarers in the world.
"Starting next year, all seafarers throughout the world will celebrate the Seafarer Year annually," he said.
KPI members and seafarers whose ships are docking at Tanjung Prior harbor, celebrated the International Maritime Day modestly last Friday.
The petition was launched in June this year "as the centerpiece of a campaign to persuade all governments to commit the resources necessary to end the increasing problem of Somalia-based piracy.
Piracy has become a serious problem for tankers carrying oil, petrochemicals and dry bulk commodities around the Gulf of Aden, the east coast of Africa as well as around southeast Asia.
The London-based ITF is a global union federation with membership comprising 759 unions representing over 4,600,000 transport workers in 155 countries.
