Coronavirus is leaving seafarer stranded far from their families and many are struggling. The pandemic has caused lockdowns, delays in flights, shift chaos and contract insecurities.
Sailors’ Society has launched a 24 hour helpline as well as a host of mental health resources to support struggling seafarers.
Covid-19 Help and Support
If you’re a seafarer and you’re worried about coronavirus, Sailors’ Society is here for you. You can find our resources to help you understand and respond to the virus below – scroll down for contact details for our chaplains if you’d like to speak to us directly.
Call our emergency Covid-19 helpline: +1 938 222 8181
or use our Covid-19 chat line: www.wellnessatsea.org/covid-19
Every week we will select five articles from across the world that concern the lives of seafarers.
RMT demands Government action for seafarers
RMT demands government action for seafarers on the Atlantic Container Line fleet
SEAFARERS’ UNION RMT has written to the Shipping Minister, Kelly Tolhurst MP demanding government action over the lack of jobs for British Ratings and the crew change crisis on ACL’s five state of the art roll-on roll-off container ships working trans-Atlantic routes from Liverpool port.
The ACL fleet was registered in the Port of Liverpool from 2016, when the Atlantic Sea was christened by Princess Anne, the first in Liverpool for fifty years. Yet earlier this week, ACL re-flagged one of its sister ships Atlantic Sky to the Maltese register – a Flag of Convenience and the biggest shipping register in the EU. ACL’s owners Grimaldi Group have warned that the rest of the ACL G4 ships on the Red Ensign are also likely to be re-flagged.
Sailors’ Society launches dedicated 24-hour helpline for Indian seafarers
Sailors Welfare Association, an affiliate of international maritime welfare charity Sailors’ Society, has launched a dedicated India helpline to support seafarers and their families through the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The round-the-clock helpline was set up after the charity saw a marked increase in calls for help from desperate seafarers, many of whom had lost incomes or were anxious and struggling to cope.
Change of over 100,000 crew members facilitated at Indian ports: Shipping Ministry
The shipping ministry on Tuesday said it has facilitated change of more than one lakh crew members at Indian ports and through chartered flights amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya lauded the efforts to help stranded seafarers during the pandemic and called for having a robust grievance redressal mechanism for seafarers.
“Ministry of Shipping has facilitated more than 1,00,000 crew changes on Indian ports and through charter flights. It is the highest number of crew change in the world,” the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement.
Authorities Convene to Combat Piracy and Sea Robbery in Asia
Maritime regulatory and law enforcement authorities from Asia, Australia and Europe convened virtually on Tuesday to address piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.
During the virtual Capacity Building Workshop, host ReCAAP Information Sharing Center (ISC) and participants from its member countries shared the information and assessment of the latest situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, in particular, in the areas of concern. They also discussed the way to further improve the accuracy and timeliness of authorities incident reporting to provide the maritime community with useful information and analysis.
Singapore to host pilot for potential crew crisis solution
Singapore will host a pilot of ‘CERTUS myHealth Pass, a technology-based solution from SICPA, to enable crew changeovers amid COVID-19 restrictions.
SICPA, a specialist in authentication, identification and secure traceability solutions, said the trial is in partnership with CrewAssist, a Hong Kong-based non-profit organization.
It will look to address travel restrictions preventing almost half a million seafarers leaving their vessels while at port.
CERTUS myHealth Pass, according to the company, will make it easier to authenticate paper-based and digital World Health Orgnisation (WHO) approved COVID-19 tests. Seafarers will be able to carry their authenticated digital health pass on their smartphone.
