The International Maritime Organization (IMO) recently issued its latest version of the industry-developed crew change protocols.
To remind, this framework of protocols sets out general measures and procedures that should, so far as practicable, be implemented by Governments and all stakeholders concerned, in order to facilitate safe ship crew changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shipping companies and airlines are cooperating to meet this priority by ensuring that reliable operations are able to continue throughout the outbreak.
However, these networks will come to a halt if replacement ship crews are unavailable for duty due to the lack of available flights and other restrictions affecting the travel and movement of ship crews. This critical issue continues to take 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 replaced.
Apart from the need for shipping companies to comply with international regulations and contractual obligations, service periods on board ships cannot be extended indefinitely due to the dangerous impacts this has for the well-being of ship crew and, most importantly, safe ship operations.
In view of the importance of international maritime transport to the resilience of the global economy at this critical time, Governments are strongly encouraged to take urgent action to address this issue.
According to IMO, governments and relevant national authorities are recommended to:
- Designate professional seafarers and marine personnel,1 regardless of nationality when in their jurisdiction, as “key workers” providing an essential service.
- Grant professional seafarers and marine personnel with any necessary and appropriate exemptions from national travel or movement restrictions in order to facilitate their joining or leaving ships.
- Accept, inter alia, official seafarers’ identity documents, discharge books, STCW certificates, seafarer employment agreements and letters of appointment from the maritime employer, as evidence of being a professional seafarer, where necessary, for the purposes of crew changes.
- Permit professional seafarers and marine personnel to disembark ships in port and transit through their territory (i.e. to an airport) for the purposes of crew changes and repatriation.
- Implement appropriate approval and screening protocols for seafarers seeking to disembark ships for the purposes of crew changes and repatriation.
- Provide information to ships and crews on basic protective measures against COVID-19 based on WHO advice.
Explore the latest version of the Framework of protocols here
