Seafarers, shipping companies and their agents can report incidents of corruption in Indian ports and seaside through a new, multilingual and 24/7 helpline provided by MACN in India and operated by ISWAN.
The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) has partnered with the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) to provide the new helpline service, which is a critical component of MACN’s work to tackle maritime bribery and other corruption incidents (both in cash and kind) on the seaside in India.
India is already a signatory to and has ratified the United Nation’s Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC- 2000). Bribery and corruption are criminalised in India under the Indian Prevention of Corruption Act (1998) and Companies Act (2013), amongst other Indian legal frameworks.
However, merchant vessels and other allied stakeholders continue to encounter incidents of corruption in the maritime value chain when ships call at Indian ports. The IMO has, through its Circular FAL.5/Circ.48 dated 1st June 2022, called upon shipping companies worldwide to report maritime corruption incidents to MACN.
In 2019, MACN had launched its Port Integrity Campaign in India to reduce and, in the long term, eliminate integrity issues and bottlenecks to trade during operations in Indian ports. MACN’s Indian operations formally commenced on 27th July 2022.
The new helpline service of MACN-India, operated by ISWAN, provides a safe and secure channel for masters / crew, operating teams and / or agents to report incidents of corruption, which are escalated to the highest authorities of the public and private agencies concerned in real time and actively followed up by MACN-India for effective and timely resolution and push back against such illicit demands.
Complainants are advised to file PANs (Pre-Arrival Notifications) to MACN-India at least 72 hours prior to the arrival of the vessels. Following that, if they encounter any maritime corruption issues, they should inform the MACN-India in real time.
Corruption is not unique to India; it’s happening around the world. This problem does not only hamper trade, but it also has a negative impact on seafarers’ welfare as seafarers have to endure demands for bribe that are often accompanied by harassment, intimidation, or psychological pressure.
… said ISWAN’s Helpline Manager Chester Quintal
This helpline acts as a secure firewall to mitigate and eliminate such extraneous demands and facilitates a seamless port user experience for vessels at Indian ports across the country. Therefore, this is to urge all stakeholders concerned to optimize the usage of this helpline. Please join us in saying no to maritime corruption, through our collective action!
…said Capt. Rayomand Shroff, MACN-India’s Maritime Expert and Helpline In-charge
Helplines are a valuable option for seafarers to report their concerns and express their thoughts. ISWAN’s helpline services have seen a rise the last years and have been proven helpful to many seafarers.
