Building on almost three years of close collaboration and cooperation, Europêche and the partner organisations have pooled their expertise to pioneer a new learning tool to better prepare crews for maritime emergencies. The digital programme will help better instruct fishers on the hazards involved in fishing operations and the procedures to follow in case of emergency. The implementation of these measures would certainly help minimizing accidents and fatalities at sea. 

MEP Gabriel Mato praised the innovative tool and highlighted the value of this event for the European fishing sector, stating: “A sustainable Common Fisheries Policy must guarantee the protection of the marine environment and of fishermen alike. Safety at sea is therefore vital and everyone’s responsibility. As legislators, we should spare no effort to prevent any accident from happening and ensure that our fishers operate under the best possible safety and working conditions. For this reason, I am honoured to host the presentation of this project which focuses on the protection and safety of our fishermen”.

Nicolas Le Berre, Maritime Institute for Prevention (IMP) and leading partner, presented in detail the 3D training course and how the Virtual Reality kit works. Mr Le Berre declared: “The fishing sector has changed. Fishermen are more and more eager to use new learning technologies and we need to provide them with the tools to be better prepared to face critical situations. Digital tools like the simulator we have developed are fundamental to ensure that our crews return safe and sound to their families after fishing”.

Cor Blonk, Chairman of the EU Social Dialogue Committee for Sea Fisheries, appreciated the efforts made by the European Parliament and Mr Mato to place “safety at sea” at the core of the Common Fisheries Policy. Mr Blonk declared: “The safety of human life must be at the forefront of EU legislation to ensure its protection as part of sustainable fishing. For this purpose, EU policies must be aligned with international standards on training and certification. It would be a huge step forward to bridge the existing legal gaps at EU level on harmonised vocational training and recognition of certificates”.

About the project 

web: https://vr-me.eu/

Most of the fatal accidents on board fishing vessels are due to lack of knowledge on devices and emergency procedures, and non-completion of periodic training exercises and simulations. To ensure a correct reaction by the fishing crew in emergency situations, trainings and simulations are needed where crewmen are exposed to a series of scenarios to get the procedures, and how to execute them.

VR-ME’s ultimate output is a training programme and Virtual Reality Simulator for Maritime Emergencies on board fishing vessels. A very innovative tool non-existent in the industry that would bring the training in emergencies to a higher level. End users can download the software which is publicly available.

The end products have been developed by a project consortium made of six partners from five European countries with experience in vocational training, prevention of occupational hazards, IT and the sector: IMP (Maritime Institute for Prevention, France), ARVI (Shipowners Cooperative of Vigo, Spain), SGS TECNOS (world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification multinational company), SQLearn (IT developer, Greece), PFA (Pelagic Freezer-trawler Association) and Europêche (European Fisheries Association, Europe).

VR-ME is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

Press contact:

Rosalie Tukker, Senior Policy Advisor of Europ

EP Press Release – VR-ME European Parliament

The report addresses important difficulties faced by the EU fishing industry owing to the ageing of the workforce, high rate of accidents at sea, absence of harmonized training standards, poor image of the sector, lack of recognition of fishers’ qualifications at EU level, low women’s employment rate and lack of attractiveness of the sector for young fishers.

Social partners believe that the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) must ensure that fishing activities are environmentally sustainable in the long-term while achieving economic, social and employment benefits and contributing to the availability of food supplies. Unfortunately, trying to achieve this already complex balance often leaves out the protection and wellbeing of fishers. The Social Partners regret that the fishing industry performance is repeatedly assessed in terms of ‘money’ and ‘planet’, but neglecting the ‘people’ who bring seafood to our tables.

Mr Pizarro and the Social Partners agree that prosperous and sustainable fishing requires specific attention and regulation to address issues not sufficiently covered by current fisheries policies, such as the social dimension of fishing. They pledge to work together to close existing legislative and policy gaps that, for far too long, have existed in the CFP.

Ment van der Zwan, Europêche’s spokesman on social affairs, declared: “The report is an important step in the right direction. However, we feel that more attention is needed towards the ratification and implementation of internationally agreed social and safety standards that protect fishers in all aspects of their work. For that reason, we call on all Member States to ratify the pioneering Work in Fishing Convention No 188. We also request the European Commission to propose a Directive to establish a harmonised inspections system on control and enforcement of social provisions. It is equally important that the Commission proposes a Directive to ensure harmonised training and safety standards in the EU by transposing the IMO STCW-F Convention”.

Juan Manuel Trujillo, workers’ spokesman in the EU social dialogue committee on sea-fisheries, stated: “We endorse the objectives set in the report. Additionally, it should underline the clear contradiction between the CFP and the requirements set out in social legislation such as the ILO C188. While the latter requires more space on board for the benefit of the crew, the CFP prevents the increase of space on board,even when the goal is to improve working and living conditions. We, therefore, urge the European Commission to identify alternative formulas for measuring fishing capacity that exclude areas for leisure and comfort from the calculation. Recreational space on board has nothing to do with the ability of the vessel to find, catch or store fish. Furthermore, the current capacity measurement rules jeopardise women’s access to the sector since separate cabins, toilets and showers are needed to guarantee their privacy and wellbeing. In particular in certain regions, such as the Mediterranean, the decreasing profitability of the sector due to the continuous reduction of fishing opportunities is a major obstacle for young workers to get in the fishing sector”.

Mr Pizarro concluded: “We need adequate social policies to guarantee better working and living conditions on board fishing vessels not only to attract young people to the activity but also to improve the safety and wellbeing of fishers. Despite technological improvements already introduced, still many accidents occur at sea, many of them related to human errors”. He continued: “It is equally important to debunk the myths and misconceptions surrounding the sector. Fishers should be seen as guardians of the sea and its resources. Only a positive perception of the profession that can offer a bright future to young people can secure the generational change of fishers”.

Press contacts:

Daniel Voces, Managing Director of Europêche | Phone: +32 2 230 48 48 | Email: daniel.voces@europeche.org

Andrea Albertazzi, ETF Policy Officer | Phone: +32 2 28 54 588 | Email: a.albertazzi@etf-europe.org

EP and ETF Press Release – Plenary Meeting