A lobby has accused international shipping lines of subcontracting jobs at the Port of Mombasa to their subsidiaries, depriving resident’s jobs.
What happened?
A shipping line is a business that transports cargo aboard ships.
The Kenya Ship Contractors Association has written to the National Assembly asking the MPs to intervene, in a petition presented to Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir last Monday.
The lobby wants to compel the shipping firms, through the Kenya Maritime Authority, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding negotiated by the companies, the Kenya Ports Authority and the KMA.
Need for an MoU:
KCSA is pushing for an MoU that locks out the shipping lines from offering services in crewing, pilotage, clearing and forwarding, quay side jobs, general ship contractor, haulage, ship broker, ship chandler, cargo consolidation and ship repair.
“There was a mutual understanding to have a draft of the MoU signed by the parties concerned under the KMA as the regulator. However, the plans hit a snag,” the petition reads in part. It was signed by association chairman Richard Jefwa, Fredrick Ochiel (secretary) and Mohamed Ali, the treasurer.
Accusation of job lobbying:
Shipping lines and agents accused of forming ship contractors include Inchcape Shipping Limited which has subcontracted Dowel Shipping East Africa, Seaforth Shipping Limited, which has outsourced the services of Transec Limited, while Mersk Line has subcontracted Great Lake Kenya Limited and APM Terminals Limited.
Others are Messina Limited (Kusi Shipping Services), Seabulk (Maritime Controls) and Southern Engineering Company and Alfa Logistics which have subcontracted Southern Shipping Company.
“In the industry, we have had a protection under Section 16 of the Merchant shipping Act, 2009. However, a number of shipping lines have gone against that Act,” KCSA says. Nassir said international shipping lines should not deliberately deny Kenyans jobs.
“There are some companies that have hired forklift operators from Nepal. Where will those youth who have undertaken courses in forklift operation through the Mvita CDF work?” Nassir told the Star on the phone.
Did you subscribe for our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: The Star, Kenya
