Vetting organisation RightShip has placed technical shipmanagers Fairweather Steamship from Hong Kong on its high risk list after the captain and crew of the bulk carrier Top Grace were convicted for the attempted murder of two Tanzanian stowaways.
were convicted for the As a further consequence of this serious incident, the rating of the entire fleet managed by Fairweather Steamship has gone down in RightShip’s online ship vetting and risk management platform.
Fairweather manages a fleet of five dry bulk vessels, all of which have historically performed well and without serious incident.
Martin Crawford-Brunt, CEO, RightShip, said: “The Top Grace stowaways incident is deeply concerning and a serious contravention of international maritime law. The clearly inhumane actions of the captain and crew in this incident are a stark reminder of the importance of following our maritime legal structures and convention.
“The seriousness of this case will result in us not providing any further positive recommendation as part of our vetting process. We trust this action will prompt the managers to conduct a proper root cause analysis and introduce robust processes and systems to ensure that a similar act – which disregards basic human rights – is never repeated.”
David Hammond, CEO, Human Rights at Sea, added: “One of the fundamental principles of international human rights law is our shared responsibility to each other and in this case the right to life, liberty and the security of person. This shocking contravention of the principle and the decisive actions by RightShip should be a reminder for the whole industry about how we lawfully conduct ourselves to others at all times, whatever the circumstances at sea.”
