In a message ahead of Sea Sunday on 10th July, the Vatican said that some governments and some shipping companies must no longer use the pandemic “as an excuse” for banning the crew from going ashore.
Many seafarers are still being denied shore leave now even though they have been fully vaccinated, the Vatican said.
As long as they take the necessary precautions, seafarers have the right to put their feet on dry ground and meet people other than their colleagues on board
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said Cardinal Michael F. Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
He also added that, as the situation continues to improve around the world with Covid-19, countries are opening their borders and lifting restrictions, with most people now able to move freely again.
But not seafarers. This is a gross injustice. To add insult to injury, some seafarers are allowed to go ashore if they are the ‘correct’ nationality
Endorsing the Vatican’s call, Stella Maris UK Chief Executive Officer Martin Foley said that seafarers are entitled to shore leave, as laid out by the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.
We are living in the midst of a pandemic, and some ship captains are reluctant to grant shore leave.to their crew. In Stella Maris UK’s experience, what frustrates our chaplains and ship visitors is the inconsistency with which leave is allowed or not. We have come across ships in which officers are granted shore leave, yet ratings are not
The July Crew Change Indicator shows that the number of seafarers onboard vessels beyond the expiry of their contract has decreased slightly to 4.2% from 4.3% in the last month, while the number of seafarers onboard vessels for over 11 months has remained stable at 0.3%.
