The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) has launched a
one-of-a-kind online platform that shows the frequency with which corruption is
reported at individual ports. The Global Port Integrity Platform (GPIP) is
based on MACN’s catalogue of incident data, including more than 50,000 incident
reports collected since 2011. It also draws on external data sources to allow
MACN's members to compare individual ports' integrity risks.
“GPIP will be a gamechanger in the fight against maritime
corruption. Currently, there are no international standards, or systematic
methods of measuring integrity within and between ports," said MACN
Associate Director Martin Benderson. "GPIP will allow charterers, cargo
owners, and shipping companies to compare ports’ integrity performance and
identify risks when trading. For seafarers and shipping companies, GPIP will
provide dynamic data that will help empower the industry to ‘Say No’ to
corruption.”
The platform currently includes data on 106 ports from over
50 countries, but MACN’s ambition is to double the number of ports in the
system by the end of the year. Access is available for MACN members, select
stakeholders and port sector partners, like investors and international donors.
MACN also sees the portal as a tool for
"evidence-based" conversations among governments, industry
stakeholders, and port operators - a new way to share information about
corruption and to compare and contrast performance
The petty corruption found at certain ports and strategic
waterways is an impediment for global trade. Solicitations for bribes -
typically for cigarettes, alcohol or cash - are routinely encountered in
official interactions at some ports, and refusing to pay often results in
delays for the ship.
“The cost of corrupt demands, and the repercussions for
refusing them, have massive consequences for the industry and trade," said
MACN CEO Cecilia Müller Torbrand.
Thanks in part to efforts by campaigners like MACN, port
corruption has been on the decline for many years. The drop-off was especially
pronounced during the height of the pandemic, when vessel quarantine
restrictions made it more difficult for port officials to come aboard and
solicit bribes in person.