By
Michele Witthaus |
InterManager Secretary General, Captain Kuba Szymanski, has called for a new approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) with seafarers at its centre.
Speaking at the 2011 InterManager Annual General Meeting in Manila, Philippines this week, Szymanski said that crew concerns should be embraced when implementing a CSR programme. “I am all in favour of protecting wildlife and the environment but I want to make sure that it is achievable and manageable,” he said. “I am a great believer in empowering ships’ crew and Masters to make sensible and correct operational decisions onboard without fear of unfair criminalisation.”
Calling on industry bodies to “educate, not regulate”, Szymanski promised that InterManager members would work to self-regulate in order to minimise the need for mandatory regulation.
InterManager members already sign up to a Code of Conduct and participate in discussions about industry-wide initiatives such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and corporate social responsibility. Szymanski told the meeting: “In my opinion, CSR goes hand in hand with the KPI project.”