-
UK to hold first
international summit to address impact of COVID-19 on crew
changes
- government will call on the international community to come
together to ensure swift repatriation
- estimated 200,000 seafarers due to change over, with concerns
around the impact on wellbeing
Marking the International Day of the Seafarer,
the UK government
has today (25 June 2020) announced it will host the first
international summit on the impact of COVID-19 on crew changes
next month, bringing together UN, political and business leaders from
across the globe.
Led by UK Maritime
Minister , the event will take place
virtually and will be an opportunity to reflect on the impact of
the pandemic on the global shipping industry, and what
governments and industry must do to protect the welfare of crew
workers around the world.
In a special address, Kitack Lim, the UN Secretary General of the
International Maritime Organization, is expected to highlight the
humanitarian need to safeguard workers across the seas and
states’ duties to repatriate workers swiftly.
Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on countries around
the globe, with many shutting down borders, it is now estimated
there are more than 1.2 million seafarers at sea at any one time
and currently 200,000 seafarers due to change over, including up
to 2,000 from the UK.
Maritime Minister said:
Seafarers have worked tirelessly during this pandemic to ensure
people across the globe can access the essential food, medicine
and supplies we all need, but thousands have been left with no
way of coming ashore when faced with border restrictions.
This government has helped more than 7,000 crew get home back
to their loved ones across the world, regardless of nationality
or circumstance.
I hope that this meeting will be a reminder of the
international collaboration required by all states to bring
people home.
Many crews have had their contracts extended but this is not a
long-term solution, with many seafarers on board a ship for
months despite having had no contact with coronavirus and posing
no risk.
To ensure their swift repatriation, and to safeguard workers’
mental health, the Maritime Minister wrote to the International
Maritime Organisation (IMO), the International
Labour Organisation and the World Health Organisation at the
start of the outbreak on 23 March pressing that all states follow
the UK’s work in
repatriating workers regardless of their nationality or
employment.
The UK has remained
open for seafarers to come and either stay on vessels, go ashore,
take shore leave or be repatriated, abiding by Public Health
England requirements and social distancing.
Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of
Shipping, said:
We welcome the announcement to hold a virtual summit on this
critical crew change issue. The fragile supply chain and global
trade is now at threat of logjam due to government inaction and
bureaucracy. Government leaders must cut through the
bureaucracy, lift the continuing imposition of travel
restrictions on these key workers and focus on this issue now.
The solutions do not need money; they do not even need
complicated negotiations, this is simple. The leadership
provided by the UK to cut through this red tape is
just the sort of initiative that is needed to free the
thousands of seafarers who are trapped onboard ships across the
world.
This meeting, set up by the UK Maritime Minister, is a unique
collaboration between the UK government, UN through the IMO, International Chamber
of Shipping (ICS) and key
international trade association to help all countries pull
together to ensure that crew workers – regardless of nationality
– are repatriated as swiftly as possible.
In the UK, more than
7,000 cruise ship workers have been repatriated since the
pandemic began.
