Kenyan Seamen Have More Openings On Foreign Cruise Ships

According to the Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), there is an increasing desire from international cruise boat lines to hire Kenyan hospitality employees.

Speaking in Kisumu, interim KMA Director-General John Omingo described it as a welcome development that was consistent with the government’s commitment to ensuring that Kenyans had respectable work. MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises are a few of the worldwide cruise lines that hire Kenyans.

The Appollo Group, Vikings Cruises, Seabourne Cruises, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruises are some additional cruise lines. More than 7,000 Kenyans are thought to have been employed in the hospitality industry, with MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean taking the lead.

Omingo remarked that since KMA was founded in 2004, when the lakeside city hosted the seafarers’ sensitization workshop, they had fostered a partnership with social partners and seafarers.

In accordance with the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) advocacy for triangular consultation, Omingo listed ship owners, recruitment and placement agencies, and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) as additional partners.

The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 sensitization workshop put a strong emphasis on the input of seafarers, their welfare, national health and social protection, occupational safety and health protection, and service provision for seafarers.

In accordance with section 118 of the Merchant Shipping Act, Cap. 389, one of KMA’s responsibilities is to oversee seafarers’ employment, training, and welfare. Omingo added that KMA has been very concerned with raising public understanding of the laws that apply to seafarers.

In accordance with Regulation 1.4 of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, and Section 118 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 2009, the KMA has granted licenses to 11 seafarer recruitment and placement companies.

Omingo declared that KMA would support the application of numerous international conventions pertaining to the education, employment, and welfare of seafarers. We held this event to speak with seafarers and potential seafarers in order to raise awareness of the rights and initiatives we are taking, the DG stated.

To accomplish the goal of the workshop, he advised the in attendance participants to actively engage and communicate with the KMA team of specialists. Soon, Mombasa County will have a similar training. Participants from the Kenyan coastal belt are anticipated to attend the planned discussion.