Supporting seafarers on the frontline of COVID-19

Supporting seafarers on the frontline of COVID-19
11/10/2021 https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/supporting-seafarers-on-the-frontli...

The COVID-19 pandemic has put seafarers around the world in precarious situations. As of July 2021, It is estimated that 250,000 seafarers are currently stranded on ships beyond the end of their original contracts and unable to be repatriated, due to COVID-related travel restrictions. A similar number of seafarers are stuck at home, unable to join ships and provide for their families.

IMO’s Seafarer Crisis Action Team (SCAT) is working to help resolve individual cases, alongside other organizations like the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). IMO’s SCAT team works around the clock – contacting representatives from national governments, NGOs, trade unions or relevant associations, or orienting seafarers towards the right organisation, to find solutions. To date SCAT has dealt with over 500 cases involving thousands of individual seafarers.

Seafarers and their relatives can contact the SCAT by sending an email to [email protected]

Helping Seafarers Go Home – some examples where IMO intervention made a difference. Please click on the title of the story that you would like to read (https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Support-for-seafarers...).
Source: IMO