A letter to the president of the Montenegrin Government, Dusko Marković has been posted stating that the implementation and monitoring of maritime regulations and practices regarding Montenegrin seafarers are worrisome and alarming, as assessed by representatives of educational institutions, professional associations, and training centers.
In the letter to the premiere, it has been stated that all the individual and joint efforts of the mentioned factors to the realization of system changes in the previous years, did not reach the understanding of the relevant Ministry.
"We are fully aware that the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of your cabinet has received the necessary powers to monitor and implement maritime regulations, which is the practice in all other maritime countries. Starting from the fact that the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs, as in all other maritime countries, is the most responsible entity and the main carrier or coordinator of all activities related to the system of education, training, certification and employment of seafarers, we are addressing you to draw your attention on the alarming state of these areas. The reason for our address is that all of our individual and joint efforts in the previous years, to systemic changes did not come to the understanding of the Ministry," says the letter. Addressing is solely based on the profession, it is stated further:
"Our common intention is to make the existing unsustainable situation better as soon as possible, for the benefit of the seafarers as well as of all other subjects and participants in these processes. Our remarks, in the shortest time, relate to: non-recognition of maritime specificity, unorganized and insufficient professional capacity of the Ministry, poor coordination of the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delay in the adoption and / or the partial regulation of the legal regulation regarding respect for the minimum international obligations maritime standards, partly enforcing or disregarding the existing legal regulations relating to the education, training and employment of seafarers," it says further in the letter.
In order to change this very adverse state, where the last moment to make radical steps has come, the initiators suggest:
“The measures that would alter this, by us, are a very unfavorable condition, whose hard consequences are already felt every day and we are afraid that it will ultimately become irrefutable. Therefore, we propose to organize a round table together in September. Besides your cabinet and the Ministry of Transport and Maritime, the representatives of education, training and employment of seafarers, maritime professional organizations and maritime companies should be invited to present problems, but also to propose and accept the best solutions.In case of your willingness and interest to make a change, please specify the competent person to represent you in the organizing board of the round table and also the responsible person from the Ministry of Transport and Maritime, who would work with the other organizations during July and August. In case you need additional explanation, we stand at your service," states the letter, signed by the following initiators: Education: Maritime Faculty of Kotor, Prof. Dr Špiro Ivošević, Central Maritime School - Kotor Veljko Botica, Professional Associations:Union of Seafarers Montenegro cap. Neđeljko Radulović, cap. Marijo Pilastro, Nautical Training Centers: Azalea White Nenad Lazović, Maritime Faculty of Kotor, Training of Seafarers Prof. Dr. Lazo Vujović, Agencies for Maritime Employment Mediation: Azalea, cap. Nenad Lazovic, Nor Monte cap. Janko Milutin.
