Seafarers’ Right Top Priority Say UN Leaders, Amid Covid 19

  • A wide-ranging human rights checklist has today been issued to business enterprises engaged with the maritime industry to protect seafarers stranded on ships.
  • They are caught in the middle of the sea due to new COVID-19 variants and government-imposed travel restrictions.
  • It is a right step under a joint initiative by the UN Global Compact, the UN Human Rights Office, the ILO and the IMO.

A recent news article published in the Yahoo Finance reveals that UN leaders should urge companies relying...

https://mfame.guru/seafarers-right-top-priority-say-un-leaders-amid-covid-19/

Seafarers To Have More Support, Counselling & Internet Access

The Seafarers Welfare Board has been providing counselling, access to books, the internet and toll calls to seafarers for years and a charity providing support services to visiting seafarers will be able to increase resources following a funding boost from the government, says an article published in RNZ.

Law Change

Running off charity donations a law change will see part of the Maritime Levy go towards the board which operates in 11 ports around the country.

Transport Minister’s voice for crew...

https://mfame.guru/seafarers-to-have-more-support-counselling-internet-access/

Florida yachtsman stranded for hours rescued by containership

Not all seafarers are stranded: a containership has rescued one sailor, demonstrating “the strong ties that the maritime community has with one another”. The 225 metre Angeles rescued the yachtsman 86 miles off the coast of Port Canaveral, on its way to Wilmington. His  yacht had filled with water and capsized, leaving just four foot of the bow above the water, which the sailor held on to for hours until spotting …

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Shipping groups lobby Amazon chief to support stranded seafarers

Shipping organisations have written an open letter to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, urging him to step in to help support stranded seafarers.
Bimco, the International Chamber of Shipping, Intertanko and Intercargo pointed out that “the strength of Amazon’s (and others’) supply chain is central to the success of red-letter retail days like Black Friday.
They wrote: “Today, 90% of global trade relies on shipping, which fundamentally serves essential needs, such as food, energy …

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Maersk calls for action as stranded seafarer roll call hits 400,000

Major companies are now getting involved in the seafarer crisis. Maersk, Unilever and Procter & Gamble, among others, have called for a solution to the crisis which has led to some 400,000 seafarers stuck on ships – some for as long as 17 months. The UN is urging governments to designate them as key workers to facilitate their movement through borders and ports. Another 400,000 are waiting on shore to …

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Practical way to deal with the shameful maltreatment of 600,000 people

Just as there appears to be no solution to the pandemic until a vaccine is developed, so there appears to be no solution in sight for the plight of hundreds of thousands of seafarers whose shifts should have finished months ago, but who have been stuck on board their vessels. And, as Splash247 columnist Andrew Craig-Bennett notes, ultimately this going to lead to a calamity, as the shipping industry effectively …

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Crew change crisis and who has failed to act…

An angry article about seafarers and crews stuck at sea, in Splash24: the Wallem group’s Frank Coles admonishes all the relevant parties who have failed to act, noting that a 13-country conference held last week changed nothing – and represented less than 50% of all seafarers. He calls some politicians “despicable”, Maersk “disappointing” and says the maritime industry must review the way it makes decisions. A compelling, passionate read.

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Australian supply chains threatened by containership crew-change crisis

As the crew-change crisis inexplicably drags on, Shipping Australia has warned that vessels will soon be detained, blocking the country’s ports and disrupting supply chains.
“Commercial mariners, Australia and international shipping are now at crisis point,” said the carrier lobby group.
“Seafarers are being forced by government rules to combat Covid-19 to stay at sea for months beyond what they originally agreed – we have heard of seafarers being required to stay …

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https://theloadstar.com/australian-supply-chains-threatened-by-containership-crew-change-crisis/

Philippines opens the way home for stranded seafarers, but needs global help

The Philippines today opened the first green lane to allow seafarers to travel unhindered across its borders, as measures to relieve the hundreds of thousands of trapped vessel crew members were stepped up.
The country is the largest supplier of seafarers to the shipping industry and the programme is designed to “ensure that seafarers are accorded speedy and safe travel, subject to health protocols mandated by the Philippine government, including safe …

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