Episode 5 - Bribery at Sea it's more than Cigarettes and Alcohol

Facilitation payments have long been the scourge of the port visit for the deep-sea master. The outstretched hand, the muffled request; that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise you have no option but to facilitate the permission needed for ship operations to progress smoothly and unencumbered.

It's the asymmetry of the risk versus remedy equation that has taxed the conscience of many a ship's master, with the risk being, delay to the vessel's operating schedule and the remedy being a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey. The inequality of this simple financial equation has allowed this petty crime to become more and more pervasive over time.

For too long now the ship's Master has balanced on the horns of this rather annoying dilemma, being dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't. On the one hand, he has his legal and contractual obligations which should prevent such a transaction taking place, and on the other, to fail to do so may lead to delay and the loss of many thousands of dollars for his owners and the loss of his livelihood should he fail to meet the swingeing time pressures that accompany charterers orders.

In this podcast, Shoreline’s CEO – Captain Thomas Brown review’s this very real maritime risk and discusses ways in which the industry is fighting back and changing through the collective action of the many and the expertise of the few who have the vision to create a better industry outcome.

We will look at the prevention and the cure.

Prevention being the mandate of the Maritime Anti-Corruption, which has made great strides over recent years to curb these shady practices, offering support and advice to shipowners and their seagoing masters to prevent the practice of bribery at sea and; the cure will be discussed with our colleagues at Control Risks who have responded to many a cry of help from their shipowner and insurance clients when caught in this crosshairs of this criminal activity.

About the Contributors

Cecilia Müller Torbrand

MACN Executive Director

Cecilia leads MACN. She was one of the front drivers for its establishment in 2011, and has served as chair of the network and as collective action lead in the MACN Steering committee.

Vivek Menon

Head of Collective Action and Partnerships (EMEA)

Vivek leads MACN's collective action programs within the regions of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He is primarily responsible for collective action projects in West Africa, with a focus on Nigeria.

John Bray

Control Risks – Director

John Bray is a risk consultant and policy specialist with more than 30 years' experience in Asia, Europe and Africa. His particular areas of expertise include anti-corruption strategies for the private sector; business and human rights; and private sector policy issues in conflict-affected areas.

Asia Pacific │ Social Risk and Impact Assessment│ Political & Economic Risk Consulting │ Corruption Risk Assessment & Analysis