SIMONE MARTINI

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Ferry arrested upon request of Health and Safety Commission

The 'Simone Martini', operating between Trapani and the Aegadian Islands, has been arrested in Trapani since July 8, 2025, by order of the Port Authority. The request of the Health and Safety Commission regarding irregularities found in the crew canteen service has been granted upon a request from the Territorial Commission for Accident Prevention, Health and Safety on Board, which had inspected the vessel to verify compliance with the requirements issued to the company in February regarding the failure to provide free food as part of the canteen service, in line with national and international ILO standards. The dispute concerned the unions' termination of the second-level agreement with which, until the beginning of the year, the company and worker representatives had regulated the exceeding of the minimum requirements of the National Collective Bargaining Agreement. Essentially, the canteen service was no longer available on the 'Simone Martini' and replaced by a substitute allowance provided by the shipping company, which, from 2019 until December 2024, allowed seafarers to provide their own meals. The Commission, however, maintained that in the absence of an agreement, "the general conditions established by the national collective bargaining agreement for the sector shall apply, which stipulates that food supplies must comply with national and international ILO standards: In the event of a failure to reach an agreement at the company level, the shipowner will be responsible for the food costs, up to a limit of €15 per meal, upon presentation of supporting documentation." The Commission also objected that the change in use of the kitchen to so-called 'pantry' has not been authorized by the competent Ministry with the approval of new accommodation plans and the technical specifications. Regarding the closure of the kitchen, the Commission also noted the failure of the onboard arrangements to comply with the documentation (drawings and technical specifications) sent to the competent Ministry. No exemption has been granted in this regard. Regarding the sale of pre-cooked food to the crew at the onboard bar, it was emphasized that access to food for seafarers must be free. The possible purchase of food ashore, cannot in any way be considered an acceptable measure, also because the summer timetable for scheduled services came into effect on June 1st, meaning seafarers are employed from 6:30 a.m. to 8:20 p.m., being at sea during the scheduled breakfast, lunch, and dinner times, preventing them from enjoying meals at shore-based catering establishments. After the arrest, Caronte responded in a statement, claiming "the agreement was still valid, meaning it did not automatically expire in the absence of a new agreement. It continued to provide meal allowances and meal vouchers to seafarers and, in the meantime, optimized onboard services by installing so-called pantry rooms dedicated to heating and defrosting food) on all ships, equipping onboard bars with pre-cooked meals accessible at cost price, and authorizing captains to grant, where possible, brief leave to seafarers to purchase food ashore. It believed the best solution was to restore the existing system, pending a new agreement to replace the previous one regarding the lack of free meals. Otherweise alternative solutions that must be compatible with the unions' well-aware need to reduce costs would be evaluated.