With boys in their early teens venturing out to sea to earn a living, the Transport Ministry will be moving to address the minimum age for seafarers.
The subject has been kept on the back burner and Transport Minister Robeson Benn told this newspaper that it was one of several maritime regulation issues that have to be addressed.
Two weeks ago, several young men on board the MV Chrissan – V escaped death when the vessel, which was experiencing technical difficulties on the high seas off the Waini Coast, sank after it collided with the barge which it was pulling. The captain of the vessel, John Vansluytman, said to be in his 60s, and miner Julian Garraway, 26, remain missing and are feared dead.
At the time, three young men, all in their late teens were working on the vessel, including 17-year old Deochand Massidas, who was found by a search and rescue team some three days later after he washed ashore at the Kamwatta Beach area along the Waini Coast.
Massidas had been working on the vessel soon after leaving school last year and his mother told this newspaper that her son wanted to work with Vansluytman at sea and she allowed him since he was contributing to the household’s income. His colleagues, this newspaper understands, had been working at sea since in their early teens; one of the young men, said to be 18-years old, was reported to be the ship’s engineer. Questioned as to his qualifications, this newspaper was told that he did not have any formal training but had garnered experience in engineering working on sea from the age of 14.
Minister Benn had noted earlier that the teenager was trained on board the MV Oliver L, a 50-foot cargo vessel, which disappeared at sea last December while returning here from Trinidad and Tobago.
Benn stated that the MV Chrissan–V vessel had several issues regarding its licence to operate. The vessel had failed tests in 2008 while it was being examined by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) to determine if it was seaworthy.
Benn added that the age at which persons are allowed to work at sea will be examined, while noting that young men would enter the artisanal fishing industry at a young age, and, in most cases, with their parents.
A Labour Ministry official told this newspaper last week that the ministry has been tasked with looking at the conditions under which persons work at sea. He said that while it is difficult to determine the conditions under which the men work while on the high seas, there is reasonable information to give some insight into the work of seaman.
The official said that there is no provision in the International Labour Standards regarding the age at which persons should work on the high seas but he noted that there are provisions regarding the conditions of work on board vessels. He said that the ministry had undertaken exercises to educate persons involved in the various trades their rights under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
It was noted that Guyana has not submitted reports to the ILO for a number of years on compliance with the ILO Conventions, although the country is a signatory to them. The official stated that the ILO had made several requests for the country to submit reports on the various conventions.
The ILO conventions, while not specifying any particular sector, state that the minimum age of work of a person is 16 years old. This could mean that many persons who employ underage youth to work at sea are in violation of the ILO conventions.
Recently a member of the Parika/Supenaaam Speedboat Association told this newspaper that the issue of the age at which seafarers are allowed to venture into the high seas was “an itchy one.” He said that on most occasions, young men coming from impoverished homes venture out to sea for an income. He stressed the need for the parents of the youths to place the safety of the young men at the forefront rather than the financial gains available at sea.
He said that there have been occasions in the past where the issue was discussed at meetings. He added that unlike the fishing industry as well as the operations of coastal and ocean going vessels, persons working on passenger-going vessels are trained under stringent measures before manning the boats.
