Nautilus International Reports The new list of designated risk areas covered by the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) and International Maritime Employers’ Contract (IMEC) collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), takes effect from 1 November 2020.
They cover a new extended risk zone in the Gulf of Guinea between the Ivory Coast and the Congo/Angola boarder, and a new extended risk zone into the Arabian Sea for the western part of the Indian Ocean.
Existing high-risk areas remain in place.
In addition to the existing High Risk Area in the territorial waters of Nigeria and Benin, a new Extended Risk Zone has been designated to cover a substantially larger area in the Gulf between Liberia and Angola.
Seafarer entitlements for the new Extended Risk Zone in this Designation 5 area include:
Seafarers transiting in the existing high risk area (Designation 4) closer within the territorial waters, continue to be entitled to:
Coordinates have also been amended for the High Risk Area off Somalia’s coast and an enlargement of the Extended Risk Zone in the Arabian Sea.
It includes the West Indian Ocean and the Red Sea up to the Yemen/Saudi Arabia border including the Maritime Security Transit Corridor (MSTC) in the Red Sea, but excluding the Warlike Operations Areas and the designated High Risk Areas of 1 and 2a.
The IBF was established in 2003 as the mechanism by which maritime employers, represented by the Joint Negotiating Group (JNG), and seafarers unions, represented by the ITF, could negotiate over the wages and conditions of employment of seafarers serving on ships to which ITF Special Agreements apply.