Panama Canal bosses criticised for punishing tugboat captains

Panama Canal bosses criticised for punishing tugboat captains
Donal Scully April 19th, 2018 http://splash247.com/panama-canal-bosses-criticised-for-punishing-tugboa...

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has thrown its weight behind the union representing tugboat captains who have been disciplined by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP).

ACP began the process of sanctioning tugboat captains last week after some of them refused to transit some ships through the Canal’s new Panamax locks.

Union of Tugboat Captains and Deck Officers of the Panama Canal (UCOC) representatives defended the captains’ actions saying they were drawing attention to safety concerns arising from shortages of equipment and personnel caused by cost-cutting.

Now the ITF has weighed in, saying the captains’ concerns are reasonable because crew numbers were reduced on the tugboats and the captains were being required to do excessive overtime.

The London-based ITF has previously raised concerns about safety in relation to the new locks of the expanded Canal. In 2016 it said the number of tugboats there was inadequate and criticised the privatization of emergency medical services.