Dubai has signed off on crew changes in its territorial waters.
The Dubai Maritime City Authority said on Tuesday that ships could swap seafarers subject to compliance with the city's Covid-19 guidelines and other local authorities.
"All agents are required to coordinate with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs' Dubai Ports & Airports, and make sure the quick process of crew transfer from ships to airports and from airport to ships," the authority's Marine Anchorage Operations Department said.
The move comes as 200,000 seafarers have been trapped aboard their ships, in some cases for a year or more, amid the pandemic.
World governments have been slow in enacting policies to get crew home — despite the vast volume of trade carried by commercial shipping — over concerns it could spread the virus domestically.
Meanwhile, seafarers have been denied medical attention and suicide rates have risen, despite efforts from the industry and workers to push authorities to take action.
The pressure appeared to be successful, with the UK hosting a summit last week attended by more than a dozen countries — the United Arab Emirates included — agreeing to open up international borders to crews.
However, issues still remain with China, South America and Africa still closed to crew changes and European Union missions closed in some countries, preventing the issuance of visas.
According to statistics from Johns Hopkins University, the UAE has had just over 55,000 cases of Covid-19, with 334 deaths, versus more than 13.1m globally and over half a million deaths.
