Seafarers get long-awaited SIDs
Maldives signed with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1967 as a member but has constantly failed to keep up with maritime guidelines.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Immigration has finally started issuing the Seafarers Identity Document (SID), which is required under international treaties to which Maldives is a signatory.
SID is an essential and internationally required ID card for seafarers to enter ports and airports around the world.
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In June, the Transport Ministry opened an application to provide these documents to each and every boat passenger who lost their jobs due to non-availability of these documents and a lot of public complaints
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The ministry said it would start issuing SIDs in July in collaboration with Immigration
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Seafarer were suffering, unemployed, some even stranded abroad and expressing concern over the delay in receiving the documents
Immigration said in an X post on Thursday that the document will be issued to those who have submitted applications for SID until 6 pm on Thursday.
Immigration said:
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SID will be issued from the first floor of Velaanaage
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Starting next week, seafarers can get the SIDs through QueueBee application
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Queue numbers will be issued between 8:30 am and 5 pm
Immigration had earlier told Atoll Times that the delay in issuing the SID was due to the fact that the ID had to meet international standards set by the International Labor Organization (ILO), such as security of the card.
Maldives signed with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1967 as a member.
The Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), which the Maldives is required to ratify as a member of the organisation, was also ratified after the country was placed on the IMO's whitelist in 2015 for failing to do so, according to seafarers.
