seafarertimes.com ~ Maritime News for Filipino Seafarers

Union urges release of seafarer stuck on ship for four years
Nidaa Bakhsh 12 Mar 2021

A seafarer has been on board a general cargo ship for almost four years. The International Transport Workers' Federation is calling for him to be released

The 33-year-old seafarer from Syria was ordered by a local court to stay on the abandoned Bahrain-flagged vessel as legal guardian. He has been alone since August 2019, without adequate provisions ...

Ships’ crews are pushed into worldwide vaccination chaos
Mikhail Voytenko March 4, 2021 https://www.maritimebulletin.net/2021/03/04/ships-crews-are-pushed-into-...

Iran reports attack on its cargo vessel in Mediterranean Sea
March 12, 2021 https://www.arabnews.com/node/1824451/middle-east

TEHRAN: An Iranian cargo vessel was targeted this week in a “terrorist attack” in the Mediterranean Sea, the country’s state TV reported on Friday. There were no casualties in the explosion, the report said.

15 crew abducted from chemical tanker by pirates off Benin
Jason Jiang March 12, 2021 https://splash247.com/15-crew-abducted-from-chemical-tanker-by-pirates-o...

A 2016-built chemical tanker was boarded by pirates off Cotonou, Benin on Thursday with 15 crewmembers kidnapped.

According to maritime safety consultancy Dryad Global, the 2016-built 19,800 dwt tanker Davide B, operated by Dutch company De Poli Shipmanagement, was boarded by nine armed men.

Close to 384K overseas Filipinos repatriated since start of pandemic — DFA
Neil Arwin Mercado - March 11, 2021 https://globalnation.inquirer.net/194288/close-to-384k-overseas-filipino...

MANILA, Philippines — More than 383,000 overseas Filipinos have been repatriated back to the Philippines since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Thursday.

Fiji police launch Goundar ferries investigation following ITF human trafficking claims
Baibhav Mishra - March 11, 2021 https://seanews.co.uk/news/fiji-police-launch-goundar-ferries-investigat...

Keep quiet and carry on: Seafarers speak out on work hours
Richard Clayton 11 Mar 2021

When will outrageous hours, the blame culture, bare-minimum manning, and fear about risking your career by speaking out be seen as a huge safety issue? No time soon, according to frustrated seafarers

The current generation of seafarers have been told to accept long hours and tough conditions. Unlike previous generations, they are less inclined to say nothing. Their views are illuminating....

Shipping and the pandemic, one year on
Sam Chambers March 11, 2021 https://splash247.com/shipping-and-the-pandemic-one-year-on/

Shipping’s resilience has been tested and showcased like never before in the year since coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

Flag states failing over seafarer work hours compliance
Richard Clayton 10 Mar 2021

While seafarers and port state control are not doing enough to address work hours record falsification, flag states are not ensuring that crew sizes are adequate to keep their ships safe

Crew change crisis and seafarer vaccinations high on associations roundtable agenda
Marcus Hand | Mar 10, 2021 https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/ship-operations/crew-change-crisis-and...

The crew change crisis and recognising seafarers as key workers were high on the agenda at recent virtual meeting of the Roundtable of International Shipping Associations.