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MACN is delighted to announce that with the recent additions of ZIM and Frontline to our membership, the organization now numbers over 100 companies across the maritime sector. MACN’s members now represent a major percentage of the global world fleet by tonnage and play a key role in ocean transport and global logistics.

MACN Chair, John Sypnowich, noted the symbolic significance of this milestone for the organization:

As an industry led organization, we have strength in numbers. By having more and more companies join our cause, we have a better and better chance of making a difference and eliminating all forms of corruption.  Together, as an industry, we are taking a stand.

MACN was established in 2011 as an industry-led collective action initiative, to stamp out corruption in the maritime industry and to promote inclusive trade. Since its inception, MACN has become one of the preeminent examples of an industry led network taking tangible collective action to eliminate corruption across the wider supply chain. By working in partnership with the industry, governments, and civil society, it has been successful in tackling corruption through country-specific actions in locations as diverse as Nigeria, Indonesia, Egypt, and Argentina.

MACN Programme Director, Cecilia Müller Torbrand, noted the impact corrupt practices on the shipping sector:

Corruption is a real threat to the people who work on our ships and it damages our business and reputation. MACN has received over 25,000 anonymous reports of corrupt demands to-date. Only last year MACN received over 260 anonymous incident which were directly related to the safety of crew.

It is a problem that is too-often excused as being too hard to solve – ‘it is the way things have always been done’. While the shipping industry is not alone in facing this enormous problem, we have shown unparalleled leadership in spearheading business-led anti-corruption efforts.

The stronger our membership, the greater the impact of our collective actions. Shipping companies, working together to refuse corrupt demands, have been undertaken projects in Nigeria, Argentina, Indonesia, and Egypt. Our ‘Say No’ campaign in the Suez has been a particular success. This has shown that as an industry we can fight corruption and win. And we can do this better than anyone.

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At the 42nd session of the International Maritime Organisation’s Facilitation Committee (FAL) in London on June 5-8th, BIMCO has backed a request made by The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) for the IMO and member States to fully recognise the scale of maritime corruption and to take a stand against this type of crime.

Supporting this work, BIMCO has advised the IMO about the BIMCO Anti-Corruption Clause for Charter Parties. The clause addresses corruption by providing industry players with a way to respond to unlawful demands for gifts or cash.

“BIMCO supports the push against maritime corruption and can help the industry by offering tool that industry players can use in the fight against unlawful demands and corruption,” says BIMCO Head of Maritime Technology and Regulation, Aron Frank Sorensen.

The BIMCO Anti-Corruption Clause is designed for use in both voyage and time charters and sets out a series of steps that contracting parties can follow in co-operation to resist unlawful demands.

Should these steps fail, a number of options are available through the clause, with termination by either party being the ultimate sanction. The termination option has a high threshold in order to avoid misuse such as an easy way out from an inconvenient charter.

Recognising the challenges that the industry is facing from corruption, the IMO Committee, member states and organisations have decided to strengthen the work against corruption and propose ways to do so, ahead of the next IMO Facilitation Committee meeting.

Source: BIMCO

The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) was pleased to present its work to the Facilitation Committee (FAL) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The presentation covered the impact of corruption, how it acts as a trade barrier and hinders social economic growth, and its effect the well-being the seafarers. However, MACN is also able to demonstrate significant progress in tackling corruption, including in places where this had previously been thought impossible.

MACN was pleased to have this opportunity to present the issues and raise awareness of corruption at the IMO level. We received good input and encouragement from many member states and other organizations.

We look forward to continuing this dialogue and to working with the IMO to tackle corruption in the maritime industry.

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MACN is pleased to share its 2017 Annual Report

The report contains an overview of progress against the three pillars of MACN’s Strategy: Collective Action, Capability Building, and Culture of Integrity.

MACN made significant progress in 2017. Through our Collective Actions, we have inspired and delivered increased participation in the Suez Canal Say No campaign; developed a new regulatory framework for the dry-bulk vessel clearance process in Argentina, trained over 400 stakeholders, and open-sourced guidance to support implementation; enhanced container tracking in Indonesia; and delivered ethics training for close to 600 government officials in Nigeria.

Our anonymous incident reporting has continued to grow substantially. With over 19,000 incidents of corrupt practices reported to date, MACN has a strong platform to better understand the challenges and to engage with stakeholders, including governments, on shared solutions. MACN has also collaborated with other shipping organizations to address the issue of maritime corruption more broadly in the industry and with maritime regulators.

Last but not least, we now have over 90 companies in our network. Our collective voice and influence grows with our membership.

MACN is a supporting partner of the 2018 OECD Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, entitled “Planet Integrity: Building a Fairer Society,” which will take place March 27-28 in Paris.

A public multistakeholder platform, the 2018 Forum shapes anti-corruption and integrity dialogue between governments, policy communities, the private sector, civil society, and academia. To strengthen global solutions that address the dark side of globalization, the 2018 Forum will focus on how to shape an enabling environment for integrity in government, business, and society as a whole.

The 2018 Forum will:

Foster global solutions to combat the dark side of globalization.
Shape an enabling environment for integrity in government, business, and society.
Stimulate fair competition, economic growth, and sustainable development.
Reduce the inequality gap and enhance the benefits of globalization for all.
MACN Director Cecilia Müller Torbrand will attend the meeting on 27 March to launch MACN’s Annual report and MACN Senior Advisor Angie Farrag-Thibault will speak on the session “Anti-Corruption Collective Actions: Experience, Challenges, and Outcomes” during the side event under the banner of the 2018 Forum, “Institutionalising Public-Private Dialogue to Fight against Corruption in the MENA Region,” held March 29.

If you would like to attend, please register on the OECD website.