German shipowner Alfred Hartmann has addressed the plight of thousands of stranded seafarers with a pre-Easter message pledging to help them return home.
In a brief video message, the president of the German Shipowners Association (VDR) spoke to thousands of seafarers whose duty on board has ended but are forced to remain at sea for additional months due to travel restrictions.
“Many of you are receiving troubling news from home. And you are often unable to get there. As it is almost impossible to have crew changes at this time,” Hartmann said.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure that this changes soon.”
Unsung heroes
The comments come after a shipowners and trade unions teamed up a day earlier to demand that governments facilitate the essential movement of seafarers and marine personnel.
On 7 April, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) warned that Covid-19 restrictions were storming up trouble for seafarers and global supply chains.
“Seafarers are the unsung heroes of global trade but the current restrictions being put in place to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic are not sustainable,” said Guy Platten, secretary general of the ICS.
ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton added: “The current deadlock not only threatens seafarers’ personal health and wellbeing, but also increases the risk of marine accidents and jeopardises the global supply chains that are integral to responding to, and eventually overcoming, this pandemic.”
“We call for immediate and co-ordinated global action to safely resume crew changes and the repatriation of seafarers in a manner that protects the health and safety, and ultimately the lives of seafarers,” he said.
Needed
Hartmann takes up that theme by referencing the important job that seafarers are doing.
“During this coronavirus pandemic, it is especially hard to be away from family. To the thousands of you out there at sea right now, please know that you are providing an extremely important service,” he said.
“Without shipping and without you, our seafarers, there would be no trade, no provisions and no resupplies. All of us here on shore need you,” he said.
