IMO urges Ridge to allow U.S. shore leave for seafarers

IMO urges Ridge to allow U.S. shore leave for seafarers    IMO Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos has urged U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to allow shore leave for international seafarers at U.S. ports, during discussions last week on maritime security.
   The IMO official and Ridge met at IMO headquarters Jan. 14 during Ridge’s trip to London, where he also discussed security issues with British government officials.
   During the IMO meeting, Mitropoulos told Ridge of the importance of treating seafarers as “partners in the maritime security chain,” the IMO said. “(He) highlighted the need for them to be able to take shore leave after working on board ships for long periods,” it added.
   Mitropoulos referred to work carried out by the IMO in collaboration with the International Labor Organization on seafarer identification.
   According to the IMO, Ridge drew attention to the need to authenticate and verify documents relating to individual seafarers and his concerns about fraudulent documentation.