Ukraine has called on port state authorities to detain vessels crewed by seafarers with documents issued in ports and cities occupied by Russian forces.
Ships should be held until crew members with “fraudulent” documents are replaced, according to the country’s submission to the International Maritime Organization.
It said the measures should be taken if documents were issued by officials in Russian-occupied Crimea since 2014 or by authorities in ports held by Moscow since its troops invaded Ukraine in February last year.
The first tranche of ports from 2014 included Sevastopol and Kerch along with any cities “temporarily occupied” by the Russian Federation, according to the submission.
The second related to documents issued at ports including Kherson between April and November last year while it was under Russian control before its troops retreated. Other port centres identified included Mykolaiv and Mariupol.
Russia hit back at the request at the IMO, saying that all certificates issued by Russian officials were “fully valid”. It said any effort to replace crew members would “humiliate the dignity” of one group of seafarers.
The submissions were posted on the IMO website earlier this month in preparation for its maritime safety committee meeting which starts on 31 May.
In its submission, Ukraine said that it suspended issuing seafarer certificates in July 2014 in Crimea after the Russian takeover. But it said that Russian authorities apparently continued the practice despite not having legal authority.
The papers highlighted by Ukraine included professional diplomas, specialist certificates, certificates of competence and identify documents. They should be “recognised as fraudulent and cannot be accepted”, it said.
It said flag and port states should “check whether the seafarer’s documents have been issued in a port or by an institution located in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
“If so, such documents are to be considered as fraudulent and appropriate procedural measures should be taken regarding the vessel in terms of its detention in accordance with port state control procedures in connection with the non-compliance of the vessel… until the holders of the above certificates are replaced by a properly qualified personnel.”
Russia said that it fully supported IMO measures to counter the threat to marine safety from seafarers with counterfeit or forged documents.
But it added: “The Russian Federation fully confirms that the seafarers in question are properly trained and duly qualified.”
Russia occupied Crimea in 2014 and held sham referendums to support the takeover. The United Nations General Assembly has condemned the illegal annexation of the region and the invasion of Ukraine.
