News Update – 23rd to 29th July
WHO pushes for seafarers to be a priority for vaccines | Lloyd’s List – 23rd July
Preliminary results of an International Chamber of Shipping survey suggest more than 10% of seafarers are now vaccinated, with port vaccination programmes being increased in Europe and North America
The World Health Organization has recommended seafarers get priority for vaccinations, in a change to guidance for transport workers. With rollouts gaining pace, the industry may soon start to demand more travel rights for vaccinated crews
Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine Launches Vaccination Campaign | Hellenic Shipping News – 23rd July
The Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine, the only maritime ITF affiliate in Ukraine, launched a campaign that aims to vaccinate trade union members and their relatives. July 28, 2021, in the Maritime Union Center at Odessa, vaccination for those who want to be vaccinated against acute respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 will be carried out.
China ‘ban’ on entry of Indian sailors, says seafarers’ body | Times of India – 25th July
NEW DELHI: A seafarer workers’ union has claimed that Indian sailors are losing jobs on China-bound commercial vessels as Beijing has imposed an unofficial ban and is not allowing ships with Indian crew members to berth at Chinese ports.
Vaccination of seafarers | ITF Seafarers – 26th July
The International Maritime Employers Council (IMEC) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic worked closely together to ensure that seafarers are kept safe from the coronavirus and that crew change continues with minimum disruption
https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/vaccination-seafarers
Belgium starts campaign to vaccinate international seafarers | Seatrade Maritime News – 26th July
Under the campaign launched by the Belgian Shipowner Association, the Taskforce Vaccination and the Directorate General Shipping Vaccination for all seafarers, regardless of nationality or vessel flag, will be available at the ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge with the Johnson & Johnson single shot vaccine.
Port State Control Authorities to Launch Ship Stability Campaign Targeting 10,000 Inspections | G Captain – 26th July
The 3-month inspection campaign is being launched by the Tokyo and Paris MoU on Port State Control and will commence September 1, 2021. The campaign will examine specific areas related to stability in conjunction with regular Port State Control inspections.
Final Wakashio report held up one year after disaster | Lloyd’s List – 26th July
The bulker Wakashio made headlines for the environmental disaster it caused in Mauritius after running into coral reefs in July last year
The final accident investigation report is still pending one year on. It is being held up by a lack of access to the voyage data recorder and to official ship documents, while the vessel’s master remains in custody
Unions Ask UK to Formalize Availability of COVID Vaccine for Seafarers | Maritime Executive – 26th July
International organizations are continuing to call on countries with a supply of COVID-19 vaccines to expand their efforts to include seafarers marking port calls regardless of the seafarers’ nationality. Since the beginning of the global vaccination roll out, one of the biggest challenges is to reach crew members who are spending months at sea and by the nature of their work at both rarely in their home countries nor back at ports on regular intervals for the two-dose regiments.
Mauritius government must release Wakashio crew held for a year without charge | ITF Seafarers – 27th July
The ITF is calling for the immediate release and repatriation of the MV Wakashio (IMO: 9337119) crew who have been held by Mauritian authorities now for over a year.
Six seafarer abandonment cases reported since 2018 | Taipei Times – 27th July
Six cases of seafarer abandonment by foreign commercial vessel operators have been reported in Taiwan since 2018, two of which remain unresolved, the Maritime and Port Bureau said on Sunday.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/07/27/2003761541
Bullying hotline for seafarers sees surge in calls | Lloyd’s List – 27th July
A 24-hour hotline receives a significant increase in calls from seafarers regarding anxiety, bullying and crew conflict, among other issues
Seafarers have traditionally been reluctant to engage with mental health issues, so this report from Mental Health Support Services suggests the guidance on zero tolerance for bullying is being heeded
Pirates’ conviction: Triumph of SPOMO Act | Guardian NG – 28th July
The 10 pirates, each jailed 10 years with a fine of N200,000 last week by a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi for hijacking a merchant vessel, FV Hailufeng II, on May 15, 2020, bring to 20 the number of pirates that have so far been convicted under the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act of 2019. They were convicted on a three-count charge that borders on piracy in contravention of the provisions of sections 3, 10, and 12 of the Act.
https://guardian.ng/business-services/maritime/pirates-conviction-triumph-of-spomo-act/
Global shipping industry disrupted again, this time by floods in Europe and China | Hellenic Shipping News – 28th July
The floods in China and Europe are yet “another body blow” for global supply chains, the CEO of a shipping firm told CNBC.
DNV supports crew change programme in Southeast Asia | Splash 247 – 28th July
Classification society DNV is helping to facilitate safe crew changes amid South East Asia’s Covid crisis as an auditor in the multi-party backed CrewSafe programme.
https://splash247.com/dnv-supports-crew-change-programme-in-southeast-asia/
US vaccinates over 35,000 seafarers | Lloyd’s List – 28th July
Charities have helped vaccinate foreign seafarers in ports with the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine
US charities have vaccinated more than 35,000 foreign seafarers in US ports, as new vaccination initiatives in Canada, Germany, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Belgium have begun
https://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL1137709/US-vaccinates-over-35000-seafarers
Flag state willing to share data of accused oil-spill tanker | Lloyd’s List – 29th July
Panama Maritime Authority said it will provide vessel-tracking data that will shed light on the missing four-day AIS gap of aframax tanker Emerald if requested
Investigations reveal circumstantial evidence the tanker was responsible for February oil spill that shut Israeli beaches