Irish businesses have been asked to support an international campaign against the use of flags-of-convenience (FoC) ships in trade through Irish ports.

The campaign has been initiated by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and is backed by its trade union affiliates, including Siptu.

More than 98 per cent of annual Irish exports, worth €91 billion, and imports, which are worth €64 billion, will be transported by sea this year, the ITF estimates.

Up to €30 billion of this trade is being borne in ships flying flags of convenience and fewer than 100 cargo vessels beneficially owned in Ireland are registered under the national flag, the ITF said.

A large section of the international shipping industry prefers the FoC system for economic reasons, according to the federation.

Under such flags, vessels are registered in states which do not recognise employment protection and safety legislation under the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Maritime Convention. It is estimated that up to one-third of all ships using Irish ports are FoCs.

"Even if the country does have worker protection/safety laws on its statute books, and has ratified ILO conventions, it is often too poor or too remote, or both, from the ship's operational area to enforce any of the regulations," said Tony Ayton of the ITF.

"The result is that the ship-owner is free to pay minimal wages and to cut costs by lowering the standard of working and living conditions for the crew. Often the very basic civil and human rights that we take for granted in this part of the world are denied to the crew."

Siptu and a number of Irish trade unions have managed to apply union agreements to some 50 per cent of FoC ships frequenting ports here, but this still has to be monitored constantly, Mr Ayton said. "If Irish importers and exporters were more discerning about the shipping companies they use, much more could be achieved," he added.

The federation's branch here has written to the Irish Exporters' Association and to several other business organisations to highlight its campaign.