During the COVID-19 pandemic, seafarers have experienced difficult working conditions such as uncertainties about port access, re-supply, crew changeovers and repatriation. In this environment, the 2021 Day of the Seafarer campaign is calling for a fair future for seafarers.
The campaign will focus on issues that will still be relevant to seafarers after the pandemic, including the fair treatment of seafarers, fair working conditions, fair training, fair safety, etc.
Hundreds of thousands of seafarers are still working at sea beyond their contracted time and equal numbers are facing financial difficulties, desperate to relieve crew on ships and start earning wages again
IMO said.
Day of the Seafarer 2021 will also provide a platform to advocate for higher standards of working conditions. Seafarers will be invited to share their views as well, about their future in seafaring.
Despite the COVID-19 outbreak and the difficult working conditions that has brought, seafarers stayed on the job 24/7.
Leading up to the Day, the campaign will publish short polls, in order to collect seafarers’ feedback on what a fair future for seafarers includes and looks like.
This dialogue will take place under the hashtag #FairFuture4Seafarers on all IMO social media channels.
The Day of the Seafarer campaign (DotS) will be celebrating its 11th anniversary on 25th of June and pays tribute to seafarers, acknowledging their sacrifice and the issues they face.
During last year’s Day of the Seafarer, IMO called Member States to recognize seafarers as key workers and exempt them from the travel restrictions of the pandemic.
