The clock is counting down for governments to make Covid-19 travel exceptions and arrangements for seafarers, as an estimated over 200,000 of them are waiting to disembark from the world’s ships and return home.
The leaders of the world’s highest maritime, aviation and labour authorities have issued a joint statement calling on governments to facilitate maritime crew changes and designate the millions of workers in critical transport industries through the present pandemic as ‘key workers’.
In a joint letter to António Guterres, the leaders of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), urged the Secretary-General to ensure governments were adopting the 12-step set of protocols issued by the UN’s own maritime regulator, the International Maritime Organization.
After passengers disembarked the cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 on March 23, the company transferred seafarers from several of their other ships onto the Mein Schiff 3 and sailed to the German port of Cuxhaven in order to commence repatriations. The ship docked in Cuxhaven on April 28, however on April 30 an outbreak of Covid-19 was detected on board leading the company to quarantine everyone on the ship.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of Unión de Trabajadores del Transporte (UTT) ITF affiliate in Uruguay, ITF Inspector in Chile Juan Villalon Jones, and the ITF Latin America Regional Office, authorities in Uruguay have authorised the creation of a humanitarian corridor for the disembarkation of the crew on the Bahamas-flagged cruise ship Greg Mortimer (IMO 9834648) which has spent two months on the high seas with crew infected by Covid-19.
The Joint Negotiating Group (JNG) representing employers and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) representing seafarers unions and their members welcome the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Circular Letter (No.4204/Add.14) that was issued last week on the 5 May 2020 to all IMO Member States, United Nations and specialised agencies, Inter-governmental and Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with IMO.
Without a rudder, food, water, electricity, lights, wi-fi, refrigeration, GPS, security or safety lights, 15 seafarers sit at anchor in Manila Bay, Philippines. Abandoned on board the Spanish-flagged MV Celanova (IMO 9268394).
Whilst we await the outcome of the investigation it appears that the young Ukrainian seafarer took her own life in the Port of Rotterdam whilst awaiting repatriation home. We are currently seeking more information about the circumstances of the man’s death on board the Mariner of the Seas.
This is a message for every ITF seafarers affiliate and every one of their members – the seafarers who have professionally and diligently fulfilled their jobs during this unprecedented and uncertain time.
Thank you for continuing to transport vital goods and keeping global trade moving during the Covid-19 pandemic. Without your sacrifice and the sacrifices of many other transport workers, the world would have been in a much worse state and likely would have come to a complete standstill.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC) is clear – a seafarer, while working on board, has the right to adequate health protection and access to prompt and adequate medical care including essential dental care. This must be as comparable as possible to medical care which is generally available to workers ashore and include the right to be allowed to visit a qualified medical doctor or dentist without delay in ports of call.
