The Ministry of Maritime Affairs is working to address all the deficiencies identified after the EMSA inspection related to the maritime sector, as stated by the Minister of Maritime Affairs, Filip Radulović.
He held discussions with members of the Board of Directors of the Union of Montenegrin Seafarers, the largest non-governmental organization in the sector, which represents over 500 seafarers.
Radulović announced a better future for the maritime sector this year, including the planned amendments to numerous laws.
The seafarers expressed their expectations from the Montenegrin maritime administration, particularly regarding the elimination of certain deficiencies identified after the EMSA inspection. Radulović informed them that the Ministry of Maritime Affairs is actively working to address all the issues highlighted in the report.
During the meeting, it was noted that efforts are needed to digitize port captains’ offices to facilitate communication and collaboration between the administration and seafarers, as well as to simplify the relevant procedures.
“The Ministry of Maritime Affairs is intensively working on improving electronic databases in port captains’ offices. I expect that we will soon have the SID (Seaman Identification Document), which we are working on with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. This is a seafarer’s book that will be issued to seafarers, and it will help us create a seafarer registry,” Radulović said.
Radulović expressed satisfaction with the ongoing cooperation with the Union of Seafarers, emphasizing that the good collaboration will continue in the future.