According to shipping industry groups, some seafarers coming from Russia and Ukraine have been refused entry at the US port, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The ports include the Port of Morehead City in North Carolina, Port Canaveral in Florida, Port of New Orleans, and multiple ports in Texas.
The CEO and president of America’s Chamber of Shipping, Kathy J. Metcalf, suspects that seafarers are being refused entry because Customs and Border Protection officials are concerned that they may not end up at the airport to leave the country and can simply disappear into the US instead of returning to their homelands.
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Russians and Ukrainians make up a significant number of seafarers, who account for 4.5% to 10.5% of the global seafaring workforce, per the International Chamber of Shipping.
The Chamber of Shipping of America was one of the many industry groups that had written to Biden’s administrative officials in a letter to express concerns over the seafarers from Ukraine and Russia who were denied entry. The letter also asked CBP to build upon guidance to field offices on how to move with the processing of seafarers from Ukraine and Russia, in order to be applied across the US ports.
Additionally, the letter was for Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security Secretary, and Janet Yellen, the Treasury Secretary. The letter expressed the concerns regarding the impact of sanctions on vessels with crew members from those places.
A great concern is that this situation could block the ships from getting crew changes done, something that is crucial to establishing safety and making sure that crew members are well-rested.
Kathy J. Metcalf mentioned that the CBP has the authority to block entry to individuals, even if they have valid visas, in case they have reasons to believe they may try and overstay and stay back in the US, but that inconsistency across major ports is a problem that must be addressed.
It is important to note that INTERCARGO called on the International Maritime Organization (IMO), member states and governments to engage effectively with the involved countries and local authorities to ensure safe passage out of danger for ships and their crews. The vast majority of ships trapped off Ukraine are bulkers carrying essential grain cargoes, such as wheat and corn, and strategic coal cargoes required to meet energy needs.
On March 15, the Paris MoU Advisory Board (MAB) considered that there is a need to apply flexibility under these circumstances considering difficulties to be encountered in repatriation of seafarers.
Sadly, at this time, there are about 100 foreign-flagged vessels and more than hundreds of mariners stranded in the Ukrainian ports, according to Ukrainian maritime officials. At the same time, projectiles have also hit four more vessels and one eventually sank.
