Thirty-two organisations from across the shipping industry are asking the United Nations to step in and evacuate the 331 seafarers trapped in Ukraine.
In a letter to secretary general Antonio Guterres, the group — including the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Bimco, Intermanager, national shipowning associations and seafarer welfare groups — asked the UN to use its “diplomatic influence” to “address this matter urgently”.
“Our seafarers are the heart of our industry and cannot be forgotten,” the letter said.
“For 12 months now they have been caught up in a crisis far beyond their control. Simply doing their jobs cannot come at the expense of their lives.”
At the outset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, up to 112 vessels were trapped in Ukrainian ports, the ICS said, with more than 2,000 seafarers on board.
In the following months, 1,500 seafarers were able to be evacuated despite attacks on ships allegedly conducted by Russia. But hundreds were still stuck, with mines and wrecks complicating their ability to leave.
An agreement to allow grain exports from Ukraine, one of the world’s largest producers, started in July following talks between Russia and Ukraine hosted by Turkey.
The UN Black Sea Grain Initiative has come under threat from Moscow, which has threatened to pull out.
The deal is set for renegotiation ahead of its expiry on 18 March. An expected point of contention is whether the port of Mykolaiv will be included in the agreement.
Today, 62 vessels are still trapped in nine Ukrainian ports, the ICS said, and around 331 seafarers.
The letter commended the UN’s work on the deal to keep key food and fertiliser cargoes moving, but said it “cannot come at the expense of innocent seafarers’ lives”.
“Action must be taken now,” it said.
“Without our seafarers, movement of the vital grain shipments out of Ukrainian ports would not have been possible. While there are challenges to evacuating seafarers and their ships, it must nonetheless be a top priority. Otherwise, we risk the lives of our seafarers, and this is unacceptable.”
