TWN
Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Jan22/03)
14 January 2022
Third World Network
COVID-19: International response, cooperation needed to address
seafarer crisis
Published in SUNS #9492 dated 14 January 2022
Geneva, 13 Jan (Kanaga Raja) - Border closures, restrictions
and other measures taken by countries to contain the spread of COVID-19
have caused a humanitarian crew change crisis, according to the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
In its Policy Brief (No.91), UNCTAD said despite important international
efforts and support, this crisis continues, and seafarers are still
facing serious problems, which need to be addressed.
Governments and industry should continue to collaborate with all other
relevant stakeholders to address the crew change crisis and ensure
that seafarers are designated as key workers and are prioritized for
vaccinations, it added.
HUMANITARIAN CREW CHANGE CRISIS
According to the UNCTAD Policy Brief, since the start of the COVID-19
pandemic, among border closures and other measures taken by countries
to contain the spread of the virus, the shipping industry, relying
on the world's 1.9 million seafarers, has played a vital role in the
global response, continuing to deliver food, medical supplies, fuel
and other essential goods and helping to keep global supply chains
and flows of commerce running.
However, said UNCTAD, this has come at some risk to the health, safety,
security and well-being of seafarers, resulting in a humanitarian
crew change crisis and bringing working conditions in the shipping
sector into the spotlight.
"Due to public health and travel-related restrictions, many seafarers
have been unable to leave ships, remaining stranded at sea far beyond
the expiration dates of their contracts and the default 11-month maximum
period of continuous service on board."
This has caused significant mental strain, fatigue and the increased
risk of accidents, UNCTAD underlined.
It said that in these circumstances, relevant stakeholders in the
shipping sector have been called upon to conduct due diligence to
identify, prevent, mitigate and address adverse human rights-related
impacts on seafarers resulting from restrictions to crew changes and
to ensure responsible business conduct.
In addition, protection afforded under existing standards, including
those in the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, needs to be maintained,
it added.
"Irresponsible practices jeopardizing seafarer rights that have
been observed include the appearance of no-crew- change clauses in
contracts between charterers and shipowners," UNCTAD noted.
The initial force majeure situation due to border closures worldwide
resulted in contract extensions beyond the 11- month maximum period.
"This situation is no longer applicable, yet the crew change
crisis continues," said the Policy Brief.
It said that crew changes may now be possible, but remain difficult
to effect, as they may require the re-routing of vessels, lengthy
quarantine arrangements for incoming and outgoing crews and irregular
international flights at a high cost.
"Nevertheless, a continuing decrease in the number of stranded
seafarers needs to be maintained, to alleviate and eventually resolve
the humanitarian crisis," said UNCTAD.
INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE & COOPERATION
The Policy Brief said in response to the crew change crisis, key shipping
stakeholders, including Governments, industry representatives and
international bodies such as the International Chamber of Shipping,
International Labour Organization, International Maritime Organization,
International Transport Workers' Federation and UNCTAD have issued
guidance and recommendations.
The aim is to ensure that seafarers are medically fit and have access
to medical care, with mechanisms to prevent and respond to pandemic-related
emergencies at sea, and that ships and port facilities meet international
sanitary requirements.
In particular, seafarers should be recognized as key workers and vaccinated
as a matter of priority, said UNCTAD.
The Policy Brief noted that in December 2020, the UN General Assembly
adopted resolution 75/17 on international cooperation to address the
challenges faced by seafarers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
to support global supply chains.
The General Assembly urged Member States to designate seafarers and
other marine personnel as key workers.
It also called upon Governments to "promptly implement relevant
measures designed to facilitate maritime crew changes, including by
enabling embarkment and disembarkment and expediting travel and repatriation
efforts as well as ensuring access to medical care".
The UNCTAD Policy Brief noted that in January 2021, more than 600
companies and organizations signed the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer
Well-being and Crew Change.
As at September 2021, the declaration had been signed by over 850
companies and organizations.
According to UNCTAD, the declaration recognizes their shared responsibility
to ensure that the crew change crisis is resolved.
It states that, to make tangible improvements, the following actions
should be implemented:
1. Recognize seafarers as key workers and give them priority access
to COVID-19 vaccines.
2. Establish and implement gold standard health protocols based on
existing best practice.
3. Increase collaboration between ship operators and charterers to
facilitate crew changes.
4. Ensure air connectivity between key maritime hubs for seafarers.
"Subsequently, the signatories developed a set of best practices
to serve as a framework for charterers to facilitate crew changes
and work with shipowners to minimize disruptions to operations,"
said UNCTAD.
Highlighting the crew change crisis in numbers, the Policy Brief said
that the International Maritime Organization, based on industry analysis,
estimates that the number of seafarers requiring repatriation after
completing contracts declined from a high of around 400,000 in September
2020 to around 200,000 in March 2021, with a similar number waiting
to join ships.
However, this number could rise again, UNCTAD cautioned.
It noted that in July 2021, the International Chamber of Shipping
estimated that the number of seafarers remaining on board beyond the
expiration dates of contracts remained at around 250,000.
In addition, said UNCTAD, since accessible data on the number of seafarers
impacted by the crew change crisis is limited, signatories to the
Neptune Declaration have developed a crew change indicator based on
aggregated data from 10 leading ship managers, covering about 90,000
seafarers on board ships.
Following the significant deterioration of the situation since May
2021, indicators since August 2021 have pointed to stabilization and
the start of an alleviation, it added.
According to data from the indicator from December 2021, the number
of seafarers on board vessels beyond the expiration dates of their
contracts decreased from 7.1 per cent in November to 4.7 per cent
in December.
The number of seafarers on board for over 11 months fell to 0.7 per
cent, said the Policy Brief.
"However, travel restrictions, strict crew change requirements
and flight cancellations continue to prevent seafarers from returning
home."
In this context, UNCTAD said the Omicron variant (of the SARS-CoV-2
virus) is likely to pose new challenges.
The data also show that the vaccination of seafarers is progressing,
it added.
"Programmes are being established, in particular in the United
States of America and some countries in Europe, to offer vaccines
to international seafarers."
According to the Policy Brief, the vaccination rate of seafarers,
according to data from the crew change indicator, rose from 41 per
cent in November 2021 to 49.5 per cent in December 2021.
In comparison, the fully vaccinated share of the population in most
developed countries is close to or above 60 per cent.
UNCTAD said one of the main difficulties is related to the fact that
the leading maritime crew nations continue to have low vaccination
rates and seafarers continue to have limited access to vaccines.
PRIORITY AREAS OF ACTION
Governments, international organizations and other public and private
stakeholders should continue to cooperate to protect seafarer rights;
implement relevant standards, including those in the Maritime Labour
Convention 2006; and, in particular, alleviate the crew change crisis
resulting from the pandemic, said the Policy Brief.
It said that such support should be part of the broader progress towards
achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly
Sustainable Development Goal 8 on decent work and economic growth.
UNCTAD said beyond protecting the rights and welfare of seafarers
and their families, such actions would also help support the economies
of the home countries of seafarers; maintain world trade; and ensure
the flow of goods along supply chains.
According to the Policy Brief, urgent action is needed in the following
important areas:
1. Vaccinations: Concerted collaborative efforts by Governments, industry
and international organizations should ensure that seafarers are designated
as key workers and are provided vaccinations as a matter of priority.
2. Crew changes: Governments and industry should continue to work
together, including through the Neptune Declaration initiative, and
in collaboration with relevant international organizations, to facilitate
crew changes, in accordance with international standards and in line
with public health considerations, and should also ensure the availability
of and access to related seafarer data.
3. Route deviations: Charterers and other industry stakeholders should
be flexible in accepting requests from shipping companies for route
deviations to facilitate crew changes and should refrain from using
no-crew-change clauses in charter-party contracts.
4. International legal framework: States and other relevant stakeholders
should, in consultations and meetings on seafarer issues at the International
Labour Organization and the International Maritime Organization, keep
the relevant legal framework under review, and ensure that international
obligations are respected and implemented.
5. Maritime single windows: Port community systems should implement
the single window concept, similar to the customs-centric single window
powered by the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) of UNCTAD,
to cover all information and formalities resulting from the Convention
on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic 1965, as amended,
and other relevant instruments.
6. Information exchanges: Relevant public and private sector stakeholders
should continue to regularly exchange views and best practices on
seafarer situations and needs, as well as lessons learned, including
during the pandemic, and promote further harmonization and standardization.
7. Outbreaks and emergencies at sea: In line with evolving scientific
insights, Governments and other stakeholders should regularly update
specific guidance on measures to prevent and deal with COVID-19 and
other outbreaks of disease at sea and ensure that mechanisms are in
place to reduce and effectively respond to medical emergencies at
sea