The head of the Danish Shipowners’ Association has warned Europe’s politicians that merchant shipping must not be seen as central to the rescuing of refugees in the Mediterranean.
“We will always do our part — it is in our DNA — but it should not be part of long-term solution,” said Anne H Steffensen, director-general of the association, at a press conference on 6 October.
Her comments came as the European Commission’s transport committee discussed a proposal under which owners would be compensated for special training to pick up refugees and formally made part of the European Union’s rescue structure.
Rejecting the idea, Steffensen said, “I would urge politicians to spend the money on Triton Plus [the European Union’s naval operation to rescue refugees] instead.”
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.