The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) issued a new circular including attached guidance which provides a framework for harmonizing public health measures implemented by States in order to facilitate passenger and repatriation flights using Public Health Corridors (PHC) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the guidance concerns operations supporting passenger flights, including repatriation flights and seafarer changeover flights, defined in the guidance as flights organized by shipowners to facilitate crew changes and repatriation of seafarers.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) focuses on 5.3 Chapter, about seafarers.
The chapter highlights the importance of seafarers, and calls the industry to address the crew change crisis.
It is noted that
Cancellation of seafarer changeover flights and border restrictions hampering routing crew changes, despite the endorsement of a framework for ensuring safe ship crew changes, have created an urgent need for facilitating seafarer change over flights.
It is therefore important to improve bilateral communication, coordination and planning between the shipping industry, to ensure the rapid arranging of seafarer changeover flights.
In addition, the IMO highlights Chapter 5.4 on ensuring rapid authorization for flights, where States are requested to grant rapid authorizations for the entry, departure and transit of aircraft, including for seafarer changeover flights.
The Secretary-General is confident that this contribution by the United Nations will have a positive impact and alleviate the ongoing crew change crisis.
To learn more click herebelow
