To help governments establish coordinated procedures to facilitate the safe movement of seafarers, IMO issued a 12-step plan to 174 member states, providing them with a roadmap to free seafarers from their COVID-19 lockdown.
The roadmap has been advanced by a broad coalition of seafarers’ unions, and international shipping industry associations, with input from airline industry representatives, international organisations, and the insurance sector.
In two weeks’ time, approximately 150,000 merchant seafarers will need to be changed over to ensure compliance with international maritime regulations, with tens of thousands currently trapped onboard ships across the globe due to the continuing imposition of travel restrictions. Failure to do so risks the wellbeing of seafarers, maritime safety, as well as the supply chains that the world relies on.
Last Friday on International Workers’ Day, ships across the world sounded their horns as part of the #HeroesAtSeaShoutout initiative, aimed at reminding governments of the plight and sacrifice of the world’s 1.2 million seafarers who are keeping the world supplied during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), said:
Seafarers continue to work really hard, day-in, day-out and far away from loved ones, but if we are not able to free our seafarers from their COVID-19 lockdown we could start to see disruption to trade and more importantly we increase the risk of accident and occurrences of mental health issues. Putting this off is no longer an option
The protocols set out the responsibility of governments, shipowners, transport providers and seafarers. The protocols also provide a framework to develop robust procedures that can be adopted worldwide to ensure that trade can keep flowing and seafarers can be relieved.
This critical issue is increasingly taking on a humanitarian dimension for those crews which have already spent many months at sea, and which urgently need to be repatriated to their home countries and to be replaced.
Except for the need for shipping companies to comply with international regulations and contractual obligations, service periods on board ships cannot be extended indefinitely because of the dangerous impacts this has for the health and well-being of ship crew and, most importantly, safe ship operations.
The following is a summary of the propose 12-step plan:
Protocols for joining a ship:
1. Place of ordinary residence: To ensure, as far as practicable, that seafarers are healthy when they travel to join ships and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with coronavirus (COVID-19), or infecting other persons, immediately before leaving their place of ordinary residence to begin travel to join a ship.
2. Airport of departure: To manage seafarers at airports travelling to join ships and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with coronavirus (COVID-19), or infecting other persons, while in the airport of departure and to facilitate their safe travel by aircraft.
3. Aircraft: To manage seafarers on board aircraft and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with coronavirus (COVID-19) or infecting other persons in-flight.
4. Airport of arrival: To manage seafarers travelling to join ships and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), or infecting other persons, at the airport of arrival and to facilitate their safe onward transfer to the seaport and ship.
5. Seaport: To manage the interaction between seafarers and port personnel and infrastructure, to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), or infecting others, while moving through the port to join their ship, and to manage the embarkation of seafarers in order to control the risk of bringing the coronavirus (COVID-19) onto the ship.
6. Ship: To monitor the health of seafarers following embarkation, and to manage and control the risk of infecting other seafarers on board should the seafarer have become infected while travelling to join the ship and this was not detected prior to or at the time of embarkation.
Protocols for leaving a ship:
7. Ship: To monitor the health of seafarers prior to disembarkation to endeavour to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, they are healthy before disembarkation from the ship.
8. Seaport: To manage the disembarkation of seafarers and to control the risk of seafarer being infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19), or infecting other persons, during or following disembarkation.
9. Airport of departure: To manage seafarers at airports who are traveling to be repatriated in their country of residence, and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with COVID-19, or infecting other persons, while in the airport of departure and to facilitate their safe travel by aircraft.
10. Aircraft: To manage seafarers on board aircraft and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with COVID-19 or infecting other persons in-flight.
11. Airport of arrival: To manage safe crew travel for repatriation and to control the risk of seafarers becoming infected with COVID-19 at the airport of arrival, or infecting other person, and facilitate their onward travel for repatriation to their place of ordinary residence.
12. Place of ordinary residence: To ensure that seafarers comply with applicable national or local requirements or guidance related to the control of the coronavirus (COVID-19) after completion of their repatriation to their ordinary place of residence.
Find also an infographic by the ICS on the 12-step plan (click to enlarge):
