Summary:

On Monday 18 November 2024, a delegation from the Tunisian Navigation Company, the Office of Merchant Marine and Ports, and the Office of Maritime Transport and Commercial Ports carried out a field visit to the Amilcar vessel that was seized in the port of Livorno, by the Italian Coast Guard due to safety violations. 

The Italian coast guard seized the vessel on 13 November after detecting twenty-three violations of international maritime safety regulations during a regular inspection, ten of which were serious. 

The main violations concerned maintenance, the living conditions of workers on board and the necessary certifications for operation. 

The delegation also conducted a field visit to the two ships Salambo and Ulysse to raise awareness among the crews working there of the importance of reviewing safety deficiencies, and to emphasize the need for active monitoring to preserve the classification of Tunisia’s national fleet. 

Outlook: 

Seizing a Tunisian vessel in a foreign country for violating international safety standards will undermine the reputation of Tunisian national shipping companies in the international market.  

In the context of shortages of many imported products in Tunisian markets and stores, additional delays in shipping operations will only exacerbate popular discontent. At the same time, Tunisia is struggling to preserve export rates to secure foreign currency reserves and achieve favorable trade balance, which will only be more difficult with disruptions to shipping operations. 

The fact that the violations were noticed during an inspection in Italy and not in Tunisia points to a failure in the maintenance and monitoring systems in Tunisia that must be resolved if the country is to maintain commercial trade at a level of efficiency and quality that will grow its attractiveness on the international market.  

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