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SEAFARERS' UNION OF RUSSIA
A NON-UNIONIZED SEAFARER
IS AN UNPROTECTED SEAFARER
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The clock
is counting down for governments to make Covid-19 travel exceptions and
arrangements for seafarers, as an estimated over 200,000 of them are waiting to
disembark from the world’s ships and return home.
Since
governments began introducing restrictions aimed at stopping the deadly virus
from spreading, seafarers have found themselves unable to go ashore for rest
and relaxation, medical treatment, and to go home after finishing their
contracts. With the world’s governments shifting blame for the growing
humanitarian crisis, the reality of these workers exercising their right to
‘get off’ is starting to hit home.
In an
interview with The Financial Times, ITF
General Secretary Stephen Cotton said that after June 16, “We won’t tell
seafarers they have to stay on board. If they want off, we will assist them
getting off,”.
Until now,
governments, including major ‘flag states’ that certify and issue licences to
the world’s shipping and cruise fleet, have relied on ‘force majeure’, or
classifying the pandemic as an act of God, to suspend mandatory international
maritime regulations and extend seafarers’ contracts. Nautilus General
Secretary Mark Dickinson told a high-level panel that this excuse from
governments will no longer work. He said the protocols developed by unions and
employers, and endorsed by the UN’s International Maritime Organization and International
Labour Organization in May, means that governments have been given every option
for resolving the crisis.
There could
be major consequences for global shipping if thousands of seafarers refuse to
extend their employment contracts and demand to be repatriated, without fresh
crew able to relieve them. Many ships could fail to meet minimum manning
levels, causing port authorities to stop them, or ships’ P&I insurance
coverage may lapse. This would be catastrophic for the world’s trade routes and
the billions of consumers that rely on them.
Canada, Hong Kong lead the way
A few
countries are beginning to understand the severity of the situation and are
making the changes they need to. Speaking to Splash247’s Sam Chambers, ITF
Canadian coordinator Peter Lehay said that Canada has started positioning
itself as a crew change hub.
The ITF has
been working with Canada’s Chamber of Shipping and regulator Transport Canada
on new Covid-19 protocols so seafarers can “transfer to and from airports,
hotels and ships”. Critically, crew leaving ships will not require visas or to
quarantine as they pass through Canada, while the relieving crew will not need
to quarantine on their way to the ship. Seafarers from countries that still
require a visa will be able to apply online and receive confirmation by email.
Pragmatic
exceptions like Canada’s could save global shipping from grinding to a halt.
Hong Kong last week introduced its own protocols that are aimed at facilitating
and supporting crew change. Seafarers signing on or off in Hong Kong will not
need to quarantine or obtain special permits in order to board or disembark on their way home. Hong Kong’s
authorities stress that shipping companies or their agents should arrange for
seafarers to get to and from the vessels with as little community interaction
as possible. In the scheme of the impending trade crunch caused by this crisis,
a taxi to the pier is a small price to pay for keeping the world’s ships
moving.
Symptom of a broken system
The crisis
has shown how fragmented and broken the international shipping system is. There
are flag states that can’t, or won’t, get seafarers repatriated. There are
‘labour providing countries’ from where the majority of the world’s seafarers
are from, whose governments refuse to let them come home. And then there are
the powerful port states, that are happy to accept the movement of goods that
benefit their economies and communities, but stop short at helping seafarers be
relieved and sent home after months on these ships.
Among the
flag states, Cyprus has announced its special crew change protocols. Shipping
Deputy Minister Natasa Pilidou wrote that “Facilitating crew changes is crucial
to protect seafarers' wellbeing & international trade. The transport of
essential goods to people who need it is now more important than ever.”
In the
labour supply countries, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs is
warning that “as many as 35,000 Filipino seafarers are expected to come home
after being displaced by a novel coronavirus pandemic”. The country has tried
to restrict the number of repatriations daily, with many Filipino seafarers
still stuck on cruise ships in Manila Bay and unable to come ashore.
And when it
comes to the port states, in Europe the United Kingdom’s Trades Union Congress
(TUC) has called on the Boris Johnson’s government to push for crew change
implementation across the world. TUC head Frances O’Grady said that her country
should “lead the international effort to facilitate crew changes and create
'safe corridors' that allow free movement for seafarers,”
“Seafarers
play an essential role in global trade networks, keeping our economies running
and delivering essential goods,” she said. “They should be recognised as key
workers and given the pay and support they need. But instead thousands are
stranded at sea and in ports. Without action, this crisis will undermine our
critical supply chains and hurt the UK's economic recovery.”
Èñòî÷íèê: itfglobal.org
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