The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has warned of the potential for chaos in global supply chains after the expiry of an extension to the amount of time allowed between crew changes.
The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic had led to crew changes being banned in many countries. A 30-day extension for crew changes on cargo vessel was agreed in mid-May by shipowners and labour union representatives, but expired yesterday.
"If a seafarer wants off a ship then the ITF, our affiliated unions and the ITF inspectorate will do everything we can to assist them," ITF general secretary Steve Cotton said. "If getting seafarers off these ships causes chaos in supply chains, if ports back up from Singapore to San Francisco, and if this causes ship insurance providers to pull their coverage and global trade to grind to a halt, then it will be on the heads of politicians not world's seafarers."
The ITF said that around 200,000 seafarers have been affected, and said that there has been insufficient action from governments to exempt them from travel restrictions.
UN agencies have called for governments to grant seafarers status of key workers, which would allow them to transit through territories and return home. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) last month said that around 150,000 seafarers a month will require international flights from the middle of June in order for crew changes to take place.
The European Maritime Social Partners last week called for governments to assist in ensuring crews can change in EU ports, and International association of dry cargo shipowners Intercargo warned about the urgency of the situation on the same day. But the ITF says that not enough has been done.
According to Argus' coronavirus port-restriction database, many countries have been accepting crew changes as long as the seafarers are nationals of the country in question, or EU nationals in the case of some European ports. Crew changes are allowed in Singapore under certain circumstances, including for crew completing employment contracts. Turkey has said that crew changes would resume, and has arranged for mutual flights with 18 countries.
