Nigeria implements ILO's labour convention, issues SID to seafarers

NIGERIA will from tomorrow begin the implementation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention on Seafarers’ Identity Document (SID) of 2003.

In fact, the essential document is expected to be issued out to some registered seafarers in Lagos also tomorrow when the programme would be flagged-off by Minister of State for water transportation, Prince Emeka Okechukwu.

Seafarers’ Identity Document is a document to identify all seafarers engaged on a job and on board a vessel. It qualifies them to proceed on shore leave or join a ship in any of the ILO member states without Visa.

Article 6, of the convention permits seafarer with valid identity any document to enter the country where the provision of the convention is being applied especially when his ship is in the port of such country.

The implementation of the convention would begin fully in Lagos as from today when the first batch of the document would be issued at the seafarers pool in Apapa.

The ILO, which revised its Seafarers Identify Document Convention of 1958 in Convention 185 of 2003 states that the provision of the revised convention which came into force in July 2004 ought to have applied to any person who was employed or was engaged to work in any capacity on board a vessel, other than a ship of war, which ordinarily engaged on maritime navigation.

The convention stipulated also that the identity document be made with quality standard prescribed by the organization. The form and the material to be used, it states, should be consistent with the general specification set out in the model provided.

The convention also made it mandatory for seafarers to be in possession of their document at all times except when it’s held for by the master of the ship concerned with seafarers consent.

Also the law made it mandatory for member states that have ratified the convention to allow entry of seafarers with valid SID into country whenever there is enough ground that he is resuming from shore leave or going on shore leave from the ship in such country’s port without entry visa.

Culled from THE GUARDIAN, Wednesday, October 17, 2007. Page 49