Nov 16 | 2020
Project carrier dship addresses seafarer crisis during the pandemic
COVID-19 has taken its toll in many areas of the shipping industry, but as the pandemic continues to progress, it is becoming a major burden for those working on the front lines. Despite the provisions of the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention, intended to ensure the well-being of the crew by stipulating that the stay on board ship may not exceed eleven consecutive months, the reality facing many seafarers is vastly different.
The regulations stipulated by the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, state that the crew of a ship may only remain on board for a maximum of 11 consecutive months. Due to travel and transit restrictions imposed because of the global pandemic, ship owners can apply for an extension if they can guarantee that crew members will be replaced in the next possible port.
As a result, it is assumed that across the maritime industry many thousands of seafarers and crew members worldwide are not be able to be relieved and repatriated to their home countries, according to international shipping organizations. At the same time, for those thousands of seafarers on vessels, replacement seafarers are unable to take up their work on board ships and earn a living.
So far, this delicate situation continues to lack internationally compliant regulations. Therefore, it is up to shipping and ship management companies to find appropriate and prompt solutions in this regard. The maritime industry has an obligation to protect the health and safety of all persons involved, not only because they play a vital role in ensuring the quality of operational processes, but more importantly to support their physical and mental wellbeing.
As Lars Feller, Global Vice President of dship Carriers put it, “Guaranteeing smooth crew change processes is our priority and means taking care of those who make them possible in the first place. In addition to own processes and monitoring mechanisms, the creation of awareness in this regard is important. For this reason, we address timely crew changes across all levels within dship, but also in our daily communication with all key external stakeholders.Subscribe to BreakbulkONE and receive more industry stories and updates around impact of COVID-19.
