The Mission to Seafarers signed an agreement with the Panama Maritime Authority to provide seafarer welfare services in Panama. The agreement will enable the Mission to Seafarers to create welfare services at all major Panamanian ports, including the Panama Canal.
According to the agreement, the Panama Maritime Authority will support and facilitate the creation of the National Board of Well-being of the Seafarers and Port Wellness Committees. This is a new body which will promote and assess the needs of wellness installations of seafarers in Panama.
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Commenting after the signing of the agreement, Canon Andrew Wright, Secretary General, The Mission to Seafarers, said that this agreement is very important. This is because Panama is an important maritime hub, while the Panama Canal is essential for international shipping.
He also added that the agreement will give the ability to thousands of seafarers who pass through Panama to have access to a range of professional chaplaincy services, whenever they need it.
“We are grateful to the Panama Maritime Authority for their support for seafarer welfare and their commitment to ensuring that all crews in Panamanian waters have access to welfare and well-being services
Apart for this agreement, a Regional Meeting of Asia’s leading seafaring nations focused on the situation that many seafarers face in case of a maritime accident.
The nations promised to advance effective implementation of the IMO and International Labor Organization (ILO) agreed Guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers. The meeting took place in Manila on November 13.
Issuing the first ever Manila Statement on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers, senior government representatives from over 10 countries in the region said the time was right for action to be taken to protect their seafarers.