Around 400 shipping
companies have signed the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew
Change. The outbreak of pandemic has impacted every individual. Restrictions
imposed by the government to control the spread of Covid-19 did toss the lives
of seafarers. Crew changes were restricted. It left more than four lakh of them
stranded as per the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
IMO established
Seafarer Crisis Action Team (SCAT) to support the stranded seafarers and
supporting their family/ friends by providing relevant information about their
status. The Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change is ahead
with four key points being
- Recognition as the key workers,
- Access to covid-19 vaccine
- Increase collaboration between ship operators and
charterers to support crew changes
- Ensure air connectivity between key maritime hubs for
seafarers
Companies that signed
the declaration include, AP Moller-Maersk, oil firms BP and Shell, consumer
giant Unilever and mining groups Rio Tinto and Vale, maritime transporters,
unions, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other supply chain partners.
The Maritime Union of
India urged to consider seafarers as the key workers. It followed the
announcement on Maritime India Vision 2030. The vision focuses on establishing
a regulatory authority under the Indian Ports Act and developing Maritime
Development Fund (MDF).
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