Seafarers’ Rights International (SRI) has published a new independent report, commissioned by the ITF, into laws around the world on cabotage, which restrict foreign activity in a country’s domestic coastal trade.
In this first-ever report into the extent of these laws, Cabotage Laws of the World found that 91 United Nations member states, out of 140 investigated, have cabotage laws, also known as coasting, coastwise or coastal trade. The number of countries with such laws represent 80 per cent of the world’s coastal UN maritime states.
Deirdre Fitzpatrick, executive director of SRI, explained that cabotage: “affects a very wide range of trades, services and activities around the world, and with significant social and economic consequences. Policymakers especially need to know more about the subject.”
The report found that cabotage laws are geared towards protecting local shipping industries, and so ensure the retention of skilled maritime workers and the preservation of maritime knowledge and technology, and promote safety and national security.
Welcoming the report, ITF seafarers’ section chair, David Heindel, said: “The SRI report debunks the myth that cabotage is an exception, not the rule. We know there are a number of countries considering introducing, strengthening or diminishing cabotage regulation. This report will assure those governments that it makes sense to enforce national cabotage laws.”
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