10 BAD THINGS FOR A JUMP SHIP SEAMAN
The number of “jump ship” seamen have been recorded increasingly in recent years among our Vietnamese seamen working onboard world wide trading vessels. Before, the occurrences were recorded with vessels calling ports of some countries as USA, Canada or Australia. But recently seamen have deserted ships and not returned even in some Asian countries as South Korean, Japan and Taiwan, where large number of Vietnamese labors are working.
Some causes that lead to the issues can be as follows:
• Puerile knowledge of seamen on migratory rules of USA, Canada, Australia, etc … and wrong imagination of his life in the countries – “promised lands” after deserting his vessel.
• Seamen do not foresee difficulties, bad things for their life recently and in the future, not only themselves but their next of kin.
A “Jump Ship” seaman shall encounter following problems:
1. Become illegal immigrant without any personal document.
2. Could not use Social Medical Service along with Medical Insurance. As he goes to a hospital, he will end his migration in this “promised land” and be forced to repatriate.
3. Similar to above mentioned, he could not buy any insurance for his live, work, etc …
4. A “panic” of police catch and repatriation all the time suspends over head
5. Become a slave for local slave-labor trade due he could not have any ability to claim or request. They know well his “Achilles’ heel “.
6. He will lose his profession/ former job after repatriation: not any crew agency can accept him back as a seafarer.
7. Ones he repatriates, he will not or almost not be granted visa to go out of Vietnam. His application for visa will be easily refused by the Embassies.
8. Not only he, but his next of kin as father, mother, wife and children … will encounter great difficulties in getting visa to go aboard, possibility of failure to get visas is very high, especially for developed countries as Europe countries, USA, Canada or Australia.
9. He never got green card, his next of kin are also can not go to meet him and his family becomes parted. He will live alone till being caught and forced to repatriate.
10. Finally, he will bring a bad contribution to Vietnamese Seafarers’ reputation, which all our seafarers many years have tried all their best to promote and archive.
October 2019
Capt. Do Ngoc Hoai
ISM VIETNAM