BRAVO to Maren Schroeder, Managing Director of Stolt Tankers for this LinkedIn post highlighting and standing up to the bribery and corruption which ships’ crews are routinely faced with in ports around the world. The replies and comments illustrate the fact that this is still so commonplace.
“This note shows what our Captains have to deal with on a regular basis, in many countries around the world.
It’s the first time in a while that I have seen such an open request. Most of the time, such requests are more subtle. In addition to safely managing the vessel, leading the onboard and making sure that cargo operations go smoothly, our Captains are often required to take on the role of diplomat and withstand pressure from corrupt officials.
The threat on this occasion is to detain or delay the vessel. If that takes place, so be it. We are not giving in to such threats and I would like to thank our Captains for standing their ground.
Last month – for the first time in my career – I witnessed a successful appeal against an undue detention, very much supported by the Cayman Registry. Additionally, our customers have shown great commitment and support in the fight against corruption by not immediately putting a detained ship on hold, listening to our side of the story, and carefully reviewing the evidence.
We abide by the UK Bribery Act and do not support corruption in any form. We have very clear policies stipulating that we will not pay bribes – in money or goods. I know that a lot of other shipping companies have the same policies, but this note suggests that there are still too many operators giving in to such threats. As long as some companies keep paying, corruption will continue. However, if we all stand together in the fight against corruption, the requests will soon come to an end.
#stopcorruption #stolttankers”
View the post & comments on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7029484367538204672-qR8o
