Amid COVID-19 pandemic and the crew change matter that has arise, Container Ship Safety Forum (CSSF) urge authorities and government to enable seafarers’ transportation and facilitate travel options by designated them as “key workers”.
Following the situation, Aslak Ross, First Chairman of the Container Ship Safety Forum e.V. (CSSF) and Head of Marine Standards at A.P. Moller – Maersk, noted:
In order to comply with international safety and employment regulations, and also for humanitarian reasons – crew changes must take place now. They cannot be postponed indefinitely.
With 1.5 million seafarers onboard merchant ships, unable to return back home due to the coronavirus restrictions, the industry association CSSF urgently appeals governments and authorities worldwide to facilitate crew changes and safe repatriation of seafarers.
At the same time, CSSF encourages coastal states to engage in constructive dialogue with operators.
It is our common obligation to ensure our seafarer’s health and safety while maintaining effective global supply chains.
….Aslak Ross continued.
What is more, CSSF brought in the spotlight the matter of seafarers’ physical and mental health amid the pandemic, as Ross commented:
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, most countries have closed their borders, limited port accesses and shore leaves. With great concern members have experienced rejections from authorities around the world to both basic professional medical assistance to seafarers even in severe cases as well as to repatriation due to their physical or mental condition.
During this unprecedented crisis, enough is enough’ said ITF on crew changes noting that, from 16 June, seafarers are going to start enforcing their right to stop working and to return home, after governments’ failure to enable crew changes and release the 200,000 seamen who remain onboard with extended contracts.
