Seafarers’ classification as essential workers is a key step forward giving them access to onshore medical care and repatriations, say Bailey, Borovnik and Bedford.falseCrawford School of Pubic Plicy, AN

Bailey, R

Borovnik, M

Charlotte, B

Massey Research Online

Published on June 3, 2021Link: https://devpolicy.org/seafarers-in-a-covid-world-20210603/Date downloaded: June 3, 2021Page 1 of 5Ships waiting for bunker (Maria Borovnik)Stranded seafarers: an unfoldinghumanitarian crisisBy Rochelle Bailey, Maria Borovnik and Charlotte BedfordClosures of international borders due to COVID-19 have affected migrant workersglobally, both on land and sea. This blog examines the plight of internationalseafarers who have been caught by COVID-19 travel restrictions and outlinessome recent efforts to assist them.Published on June 3, 2021Link: https://devpolicy.org/seafarers-in-a-covid-world-20210603/Date downloaded: June 3, 2021Page 2 of 5International seafarers, of which there are around two million working onboardmerchant ships, play a critical role in the global economy. Prior to COVID-19,cargo  ships  carried  approximately  80%  of  all  global  trade.  Seafarers  are,however, a precarious workforce. They live and work in vulnerable settings whileat sea, crisscrossing Exclusive Economic Zones of nation states and waters thatare outside legal zones. Previous research by one of the authors has highlightedsome of these vulnerabilities (also see, for example, here and here) which havebeen further compounded by the global pandemic.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimated that as at December2020 “400,000 seafarers are … stranded on their ships beyond the end of theiroriginal  contracts  and unable  to  be repatriated,  due to  COVID-related travelrestrictions”. The IMO argues that another 400,000 “are stuck at home, unable tojoin  ships  and  provide  for  their  families”.  Considering  many  seafarers  arebreadwinners for their families, being stranded, whether on ship or at home, hassignificant implications for their welfare and livelihoods.Seafarers perform a critical role in global supply chains, but few countries havedesignated them as key workers providing an essential service. As of May 2021,55 IMO Member States had recognised seafarers as essential workers, out of atotal of 174 Members. The IMO, together with the UN Conference on Trade andDevelopment  (UNCTAD)  and  the  International  Labour  Organization  (ILO),  isurging  all  UN  Member  States  to  designate  seafarers  as  key  workers.  Thisdesignation is crucial for crew changes and for the continuation of trade betweencountries.Crew changes,  which are  an integral  part  of  meeting international  maritimeregulations  for  crew  health  and  safety,  were  suspended  in  March  2020  tominimise disruptions to global supply chains. Following the IMO’s endorsement ofthe 12-step protocol for crew changes in May 2020, crew changes recommenced.However,  the  logistics  of  following  protocol  were  challenging,  and  only  50Published on June 3, 2021Link: https://devpolicy.org/seafarers-in-a-covid-world-20210603/Date downloaded: June 3, 2021Page 3 of 5countries complied.Under the ILO’s 2006 Maritime Labour convention, the maximum work period forseafarers  is  11  months.  For  some who  signed  up  for  short-term 3-4  monthcontracts,  however,  the  prolonged  restrictions,  with  no  possibility  for  crewchange, have resulted in extended stays on board of up to 18 months. Workingseven days a week, for up to 12 hours a day, crews have become physically andmentally exhausted. In some instances, seafarers have also been prohibited fromdisembarking. Seafarers’ ongoing containment on ships, which some have termedan “unwanted prison sentence” has raised significant concerns over their mentalhealth and wellbeing.Early reports that seafarers are at low risk of contracting COVID-19 have alsobeen challenged. In New Zealand in January 2021, COVID-19 clusters occurredamong Russian and Ukrainian seafarers  in  managed isolation facilities.  Morerecently, COVID-19 cases have been reported among crew onboard a gas tankerin Vanuatu, with crew unable to access onshore treatment in Vanuatu, insteadremaining at sea.The current plight of seafarers has been deemed a humanitarian crisis, with theIMO, among others, citing concerns over decent and safe working conditions, thelack of access to onshore medical care and repatriations – all of which contributeto seafarers’ sense of vulnerability and abandonment – as an “infringement ofhuman rights”. Workers have been left feeling dehumanised; treated instead asunits of disposable labour. As one US Captain, Hedi Marzougui, has argued, “Wealso have rights as human beings, we have families of our own. We have a life toget back to … We’re not robots, we shouldn’t be seen as second-class citizens.”Seafarers’ pleas have not gone unheard. Throughout the pandemic, internationalagencies such as the IMO and ILO have made continued efforts to assist them. InJune 2020 meetings were initiated between the IMO, ILO, government ministers,shipping companies and worker representatives to tackle the problems facingPublished on June 3, 2021Link: https://devpolicy.org/seafarers-in-a-covid-world-20210603/Date downloaded: June 3, 2021Page 4 of 5stranded  seafarers,  namely  to  advocate  for  their  classification  as  essentialworkers, and for travel exemptions to be granted which would enable them toreturn home.Months later, in September 2020, the ILO and UN agencies formally requestedcountries remove obstacles to crew changes. The UN General Assembly adopted aresolution on ‘International cooperation to address challenges faced by seafarersas a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to support global supply chains’ at its 75thSession  on  1  December  2020.  The  resolution  encourages  governments  toimmediately implement measures for crew change and allow access to medicalcare,  and  it  urges  Member  States  to  designate  seafarers  and  other  marinepersonnel as key workers.The IMO has nominated 2021 a “year of action for seafarers” in recognition of theongoing hardships they face due to COVID-19 travel  restrictions.  While mostcountries now permit  seafarers to cross international  borders,  the process ishampered by expensive air travel, quarantine and screening requirements, andchanging rules due to new waves of COVID-19. As a result, seafarers remainstranded at sea.The  IMO continues  to  advocate  for  seafarers’  classification  as  key  workers,arguing this is a critical support measure. Not only will this designation enableseafarers to travel to and from ships, but it will also facilitate priority access toCOVID-19 vaccinations, a key step in ensuring workers’ health and safety andaiding their future freedom of movement.For seafarers themselves, a question remains as to whether their experiences ofbeing stranded at sea during COVID-19 will result in a career change. As seafarerMatt Forster, an English Chief Engineer, explains, “I don’t want to go back if I amgoing to get stuck again for another six months. And it’s not just me: a lot of otherseafarers around the world feel the same way. It’s going to cause people to leavethe industry.”Published on June 3, 2021Link: https://devpolicy.org/seafarers-in-a-covid-world-20210603/Date downloaded: June 3, 2021Page 5 of 5DisclosureRochelle Bailey’s and Charlotte Bedford’s research for this blog was undertakenwith support from the Pacific Research Program, funded by the Department ofForeign Affairs and Trade. The views are those of the authors only.About the author/sRochelle BaileyRochelle Bailey is a Research Fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU.Maria BorovnikMaria  Borovnik  is  a  Senior  Lecturer  in  Development  Studies  at  MasseyUniversity,  New  Zealand.  She  is  working  in  the  intersection  of  mobilities,development,  and  geographies.  Her  long-term  research  explored  the  livingrealities of seafarers and their families in Kiribati and Tuvalu.Charlotte BedfordCharlotte Bedford is a Research Fellow with the Development Policy Centre and isbased in New Zealand.

Stranded seafarers: an unfolding humanitarian crisis

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Stranded seafarers: an unfolding humanitarian crisis

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