First ship registry joins Neptune Declaration

The Liberian Registry announced it has become the first ship registry to sign onto the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change, joining over 300 maritime organizations in a global call to action to end the crew change crisis caused by COVID-19.

The goals of the Liberian Registry through the signing of the Neptune Declaration are to continue the fight to recognize seafarers as key-workers and give them priority access to COVID-19 vaccines; to establish and implement gold standard health protocols based on existing best practices; increase collaboration between industry stakeholders to facilitate crew changes; and to ensure air connectivity between key maritime hubs.

It is an honor for us to sign, and we pledge to continue our efforts in facilitating crew changes aboard our 4,600 vessels around the globe. COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges, and we have been fighting for the facilitation of crew changes since the early days of the pandemic, working closely with industry bodies such as ICS and ITF, port and coastal States, and with the owners and operators of Liberian flagged vessels,

…stated Chief Operating Officer of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR), Alfonso Castillero.

The Neptune Declaration was announced in late January in light of a peak in the crew change crisis, which has left hunderds of thousands of seafarers stranded onboard due to travel restrictions. Sharing responsibility based on their roles across the entire maritime value chain, the signatories seek to ensure that the crew change crisis is resolved as soon as possible by defining four main actions to keep global supply chains functioning:

1. Recognize seafarers as key workers and give them priority access to Covid-19 vaccines;
2. Establish and implement gold standard health protocols based on existing best practice;
3. Increase collaboration between ship operators and charterers to facilitate crew changes;
4. Ensure air connectivity between key maritime hubs for seafarers.