64 SUOMEN MERENKULKU ■ FINLANDS SJÖFART Despite seafarers facing increased dangers in the Red Sea (see pages 29-31), other areas of the Union’s international work alongside our global partners must continue. At the end of 2023, I attended some International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) meetings – the Seafarers’ Section Conference and the Fair Practices Committee – representing Nautilus alongside general secretary Mark Dickinson and executive officer Sascha Meijer. We were also joined by a number of representatives from Nautilus Federation affiliates. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, these were the first such meetings held in six years. Covid-19 has of course had an impact on international work programmes since 2020; however, these meetings were an important time for Nautilus to set the agenda for the years ahead. The Union submitted several motions at the events. Building on the work we undertook at the Union’s General Meeting in October 2023, Mr Dickinson delivered a speech on the importance of the Just Transition to maritime professionals. I introduced the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the ITF’s agenda by delivering a speech to the conference which had been written by an AI tool. We called for a union-led discussion on the topic to assess the impact of this developing technology on our industry. Ms Meijer spoke about the safe carriage of electric vehicles (EV) and the need for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to work with industry and unions to develop mandatory regulations to address the additional risks involved in the carriage of EVs. We highlighted the importance of diversity in maritime and marked the 75th anniversary of the ITF's Flag of Convenience campaign by calling for the ITF to continue efforts to drive shipowners to reputable national flags, and to reinforce UNCLOS Article 91, which requires a genuine link between the shipowner and the country of registration. We look forward to working on behalf of maritime professionals as we lead and participate on these topics with our colleagues in the Nautilus Federation and the ITF. ● If you would like to find out more, please contact me via dmcgowan@ nautilusint.org PHOTOS:DANNY MCGOWAN CREDIT: NAUTILUS INTERNATIONAL Working with our federation partners to fight for your rights To find out more about the ITF, go to www.itfglobal.org and for the Nautilus Federation, see nautilusfederation.org T. THE GLOBAL SEAFARER
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