MACN Launches 2018 Annual Report
We are pleased to share with you our 2018 Annual Report. This contains a comprehensive summary of our work and progress in 2018 under the three pillars of our strategy: Collective Action, Capability Building, and Culture of Integrity.
Below is the introductory letter from John Sypnowich, Chair of MACN:
Dear colleagues and friends,
After more than a year as Chair of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), two things are very clear to me. First, the growth and momentum of our Network gives us an unprecedented opportunity to progress in the battle to eliminate corruption in the maritime industry. Second, the need for action is high: our seafarers continue to face unacceptable risks in numerous regions.
There has been a lot to celebrate in 2018. Our growth to over 100 members makes us a clear leader in private-sector anti-corruption collaborations, and our collective actions have gone from strength to strength. As an example, following the implementation of new regulations in Argentina as a result of our collective action, reports of corrupt demands in Argentine port calls to MACN’s anonymous incident reporting system have dropped by 90 percent.
That’s a big result that we should all be proud of. But we also continue to hear accounts from our seafarers—either directly or through our shared reporting system—of harassment and threats as they try to complete routine port calls. In our social media campaign last December, we shared some of these stories:
– “If facilitation is not paid we are threatened with detention or no port clearance.”
– “Cases of extortion, harassment, and threats of violence are frequent events.”
– “In many places the customs officers always try to find defects and threaten us with penalties. They waste a lot of time checking and harassing the crew.”
Changing the attitudes that create these situations is hard work. We, as a Network, have the numbers to make a difference and we have seen this year that our efforts are directly benefiting seafarers. As one put it:
– “There were a few initial attempts while we passed through, but after a documented and polite denial it was clear that the vessel was part of MACN and no more questions were asked.”
These stories inspire me and remind me of what we can achieve. However, effective action requires consistent engagement from us as companies and from our partners around the world. We must keep pushing: contributing ideas and reports, coordinating our activities, working with our internal teams.
I call on all of us to maintain our commitment to work with and for each other. Let’s all work together in 2019 to bring us even closer to our goal of a maritime industry free of corruption, and together we will create a safer environment for all of our crews.
With warm regards,
John Sypnowich, The CSL Group, Inc.; Chair, MACN
