Co-funded by the European Union

Fourteen Governments signed a joint statement to improve seafarers and shipowners’ conditions in Covid-19 times

  • Covid-19 crisis stranded seafarers and deteriorated safety in the maritime sector.
  • The joint statement acknowledged the need to change crew despite the travel restrictions and indicated ways to overcome this problem.
  • To date the situation has not improved.

In July, the UK Government hosted a virtual International Maritime Summit   to address the situation of seafarers stranded in different ports due to travel restrictions and other measures related to Covid-19. 14 Governments attended the Summit and signed a joint statement recognising the need to facilitate and speed up crew changes as a key pre-condition to maintain safe and efficient operation of the maritime transportation system.

The signatories agreed as a matter of urgency to: “Encourage all International Maritime Organization (IMO) states to designate seafarers as “key workers” providing an essential service, to facilitate a safe and unhindered movement for embarking or disembarking a vessel”. Moreover, among various measures, the governments proposed to “review, working in conjunction with our health, immigration and other relevant ministries, agencies and authorities, the necessity of any restrictions that may continue to apply, at national and/or local level, to the movement and travel of seafarers for the purpose of conducting ships’ crew changes. This includes the possibility of allowing exemptions from quarantine or similar restrictions in accordance with relevant international rules or health regulatory guidelines”.

The joint statement also urged “all IMO members to take any necessary measures, within their area of jurisdiction, to ensure seafarers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic enjoy safe crew changes as well as repatriation to their home countries or to their place of ordinary residence”.

The Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping, Guy Platten, in his remarks to the Summit on behalf of the shipowners said: “The humanitarian crisis unfolding is very real. We as employers have been doing all we can, but seafarers cannot extend their tours of duty indefinitely - the situation is unsustainable and at breaking point. If we cannot change our crews, then ships ultimately cannot continue to operate safely. And this will have a serious impact on the movement of trade, at this time of crisis and economic uncertainty”.

All interested parties favourably considered the joint statement; Mr Platten underlined the need to “see that the positive words and commitments translate into actions. The seafarers that serve us deserve nothing less”. On the trade union side, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) represented the seafarers at the Summit. ITF General Secretary, Stephen Cotton, said: “Governments must move from ‘appreciation [of] the world’s seafarers who have continued tirelessly to operate ships and move trade throughout this global crisis’ to concrete action. Now it’s about accountability, words will not get our people off these ships”.

At the time of writing, one month after the joint statement was signed, this matter is becoming even more challenging due to the lack of tangible change in the repatriation procedures, especially from the many countries that did not sign the statement (mainly in Asia). Given the crucial importance of this sector and seafarers for the global economy – 90% of good worldwide are shipped – the issue has been brought to the attention of the United Nations and will be discussed at the next UN General Assembly on 15 September 2020. This process is currently led by the International Labour Office, acting as the Secretariat in support of the Special Tripartite Committee foreseen in the Maritime Labour Convention (ILO Convention, 2006, MLC).