As the Covid-19 pandemic and the travel restrictions put in place to attempt containment drag on, around 200,000 merchant seafarers are trapped aboard ships in violation of international law.
Four months without pay and 48 hours without food, 47 seafarers off the coast of the UK are desperate to get home to their families.
Today is the ‘Day of the Seafarer’ a day when we should celebrate seafarers, but this year, as world’s seafarers are let down by governments there is little to celebrate
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and its affiliated seafarers’ unions will now assist hundreds of thousands of seafarers to exercise their right to stop working, leave ships, and return home.
The ITF and the Joint Negotiating Group, along with the International Chamber of Shipping have worked tirelessly since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic on finding solutions to the issue of crew changes.
On Wednesday, Pope Francis released a video statement in which he paid tribute to seafarers and fishers, and acknowledged the difficult challenges they have been forced to endure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
