IMO has held the third in a series of regional webinars for Member States on the challenges faced by seafarers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The event (13 November) for stakeholders in Western Asia and Eastern Europe focused in particular on the crew change crisis, by raising best practices and solutions.

In his opening address, IMO Secretary-General reiterated the need for action, the importance of seafarers and called for continued cooperation by all countries, authorities and stakeholders involved. 

Speaking at the close of the webinar, IMO's Ivaylo Valev encouraged participants to report back to their respective governments and highlight the need for five key actions:

  1. Designate seafarers as "key workers" providing an essential service, to facilitate safe and unhindered embarkation and disembarkation from their ships;
  2. Undertake national consultations involving all relevant ministries, agencies and departments, to identify obstacles to crew changes, and establish and implement measurable, time-bound plans to increase the rate of such crew changes;
  3. Consult with representative shipowners' and seafarers' organizations when developing and implementing measures related to, or that have an impact upon, crew changes of seafarers; in particular – for those States which are Parties to the MLC, 2006 – in relation to achieving full compliance with the obligations enshrined in the Convention;
  4. Continue complying with the Resolution MSC.473(ES.2) and implement MSC.1/Circular 1636 on Industry recommended framework of protocols for ensuring safe ship crew changes and travel during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic; and 
  5. Refrain from authorizing any new extension of seafarers' employment agreements beyond the default maximum period of 11 months, in accordance with the MLC, 2006.

 Further information about the webinar, including a list of speakers, can be found here.