An alliance of shipowners and managers has slammed current coronavirus policy as applied to shipping. They say it threatens not only the mental health and human rights of seafarers, but also the viability of ocean supply chains on which those in lockdown depend.
According to the group, at present more than 100 000 seafarers are in effect marooned at sea because coronavirus shutdowns worldwide are preventing them from entering or transiting countries and/or finding flights on which to return home.
The alliance has developed port viability and detailed seafarer risk assessment plans which it is convinced will mitigate the risk of coronavirus infections during essential crew changeovers. It is now urging immediate governmental and inter-governmental action to enable the resumption of crew changes - including the designation of seafarers as ‘key workers’.
“We understand Covid-19 is a black swan event. But measures aimed at protecting society were never intended to prevent key workers from carrying out tasks essential to the ongoing well-being of society. These policies were also not intended to be detrimental to the welfare of key workers such as seafarers,” said Captain Rajesh Unni, CEO of Singapore-based ship manager Synergy Group.
“Our collective aim as responsible owners and managers employing tens of thousands of seafarers is to pursue every means possible to get crew back to their families.”
Members believe collective crew changes at identified ports are a feasible short-term aim even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic if State assistance is made available.
The alliance has identified key ports where collective crew changes can potentially be organised. These include Singapore, Houston, Rotterdam, Gibraltar, Jebel Ali, Fujairah, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
“As well as identifying ports we have also developed a rigorous risk assessment methodology and drawn up action plans that we, as employers of seafarers and organisers of crew logistics, can implement to mitigate the risks of infection,” said Captain Unni.
