To mark World Maritime Day 2021 on 30 September, the ITF Seafarers’ Trust is urging for greater recognition for seafarers and for governments to live up to their responsibilities.
Chair of Trustees Dave Heindel said:
To say that seafarers have kept the global economy moving during Covid is no exaggeration. Without them carrying on, through loneliness, home sickness, illness and uncertainty, the global supply chain would have ground to a total halt
For this reason, the Trust wants to see governments recognising that and living up to their responsibilities to seafarers through recognition of key worker status, access to vaccines and facilitated crew change with the appropriate legislative support.
In addition to supporting unions and welfare organisations with funding for their specific COVID projects, the Trust has also committed to giving a platform to the voices of seafarers during this challenging period, providing an insight into their life and work.
For this reason, the Trust ran a photo competition earlier in the year to gather portraits of seafarers by seafarers, giving those onboard the opportunity to tell their stories through images and personal accounts.
Head of the Trust Katie Higginbottom, stated:
The last eighteen months of the coronavirus pandemic have been some of the hardest times for seafarers in living memory. World Maritime Day is a great opportunity for us to honour the contribution of seafarers
