News Bulletin – 29 August 2020

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1. Updating safety management systems: protecting crew from Covid-19.

28 August 2020 : The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant issues for crew members on board vessels across the globe, and the impact it has had on their physical and mental health has been the focus of some attention. The spotlight is on employers of crew, as well as owners and operators of vessels, to ensure that they and their vessels have in place a system that prioritises the health and safety of crew members and ensures that they are protected, so far as reasonably practicable, not only from the everyday dangers they face at sea but also from infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

Relevant law

UK flagged vessels must comply with the standards established by the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (as amended) (MLC).

The starting point in respect of the safety and health of crew is Article IV of the MLC, which provides that:

• every seafarer has the right to a safe and secure workplace that complies with safety standards;

• every seafarer has a right to fair terms of employment;

• every seafarer has a right to decent working and living conditions on board ships;

• every seafarer has a right to health protection, medical care, welfare measures and other forms of social protection; and

• each member state shall ensure that the seafarers’ employment and social rights are fully implemented in accordance with the requirements of this Convention.

2. MARINA sends rules on seafarers’ ‘green lane’ to IMO.

28 August 2020 : To allow for the “speedy and safe travels” of seafarers during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) said it has communicated the country’s guidelines for the establishment of a “green lane” for seafarers to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

In a statement on Tuesday, the MARINA said the guidelines, made in response to the IMO’s recommendations for safe ship crew changes during the pandemic, would allow for the safe and swift disembarkation and crew change of seafarers in the country.

“These guidelines were formulated through an inter-agency effort in order to expedite the travels of seafarers involved in deployment, disembarkation, and crew changes by establishing a Philippines Green Lane,” the MARINA said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies in July signed the Philippine Green Lane Joint Circular that would facilitate the creation of controlled travel lanes to stimulate the country’s economy through the safe and efficient movement of seafarers.

3. ICS’ new protocols to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 onboard ships.

27 August 2020 : The brand-new protocols aim to safeguard the health of seafarers and guarantee the safe operations of maritime trade – offering governments and the general public reassurance that seafarers can embark and disembark ships safely. 

Following concerns over COVID-19 infections onboard ships, due to a small minority failing to adhere to industry guidance, ICS, along with IMHA and INTERTANKO, took the initiative to create the new COVID-19 protocols on 25 August 2020. Building on previous health guidance released by ICS in May, the new document equips ships operators with two useful and practical tools to safely manage cases on vessels: 

1. A flowchart to help identify the process to follow when managing a larger number of suspected cases on vessels; and 

2. A PCR testing procedures matrix to help identify what to do and when prior to boarding and if a suspect case is identified on ships.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 related travel restrictions have limited the global shipping industry’s ability to rotate ships’ crew. There are now over a quarter of a million seafarers stranded at sea, waiting to be repatriated.

4. Pacific Basin applies VSAT connectivity for crew welfare.

27 August 2020 : The Hong Kong-headquartered shipowner is using KVH Industries VSAT communications network for crew welfare and operational connectivity with ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship communications over wide-beam and high-throughput satellites (HTS) using Ku-band.

Pacific Basin uses KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband HTS satellite network and antenna technology, and KVH’s YourLink service to transmit company messages and video to seafarers aboard its 116 Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers using multicast technology.

Pacific Basin has already transmitted two time-sensitive videos, including one on the crucial topic of crew changes during these tough times. In the video, Pacific Basin’s fleet director Jay K Pillai discusses the efforts being made to enable seafarers to disembark their vessels for crew changes, despite worldwide port call restrictions due to Covid-19.

5. India : Change of over 100,000 crew members facilitated at ports: Shipping Ministry.

26 August 2020 : The shipping ministry on Tuesday said it has facilitated change of more than one lakh crew members at Indian ports and through chartered flights amid the coronavirus pandemic. Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya lauded the efforts to help stranded seafarers during the pandemic and called for having a robust grievance redressal mechanism for seafarers.

“Ministry of Shipping has facilitated more than 1,00,000 crew changes on Indian ports and through charter flights. It is the highest number of crew change in the world,” the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. Crew change consists of replacing one set of a ship’s crew members with another set of people and involves sign-on and sign-off procedures.

Despite the maritime sector being one of the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the statement said that all the Indian ports were operational and were providing essential services throughout the pandemic. They stood as main pillars ensuring smooth supply chain for India and the world, it added.

6. Sailors’ Society Launches Helpline for Indian Seafarers.

26 August 2020 : A new dedicated helpline aims to support Indian seafarers and their families as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place added pressures on maritime workers globally.

The round-the-clock helpline was set up by Sailors Welfare Association, an affiliate of international maritime welfare charity Sailors’ Society, after the charity saw a marked increase in calls for help from desperate seafarers, many of whom had lost incomes or were anxious and struggling to cope.  

Staffed by a team of professional psychologists, chaplains, maritime lawyers and social workers, the confidential helpline is available free-of-charge for seafarers and their families to call and receive advice in a variety of languages including Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam.  

“Seafarers and their family members can call us about anything at all; we’re here to help with whatever they need,” said Gavin Lim, Sailors’ Society’s regional manager – Asia. “We know many seafarers are under huge pressure right now and so we’re really pleased to be able offer this new service. The helpline team is highly skilled and well-placed to provide support and guidance to anyone in need of help.”

7. Over 200 traineeship opportunities offered in maritime sector.

26 August 2020 : OVER 200 traineeships in the maritime sector are being made available for fresh and recent graduates under the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, with similar attachment opportunities for mid-career workers, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs Chee Hong Tat announced on Tuesday.

“While Covid-19 has hit many sectors hard, the maritime sector has remained resilient,” he said in a webinar that kicked off the two-day MSC Maritime Careers Workshop, showcasing opportunities in the sector.

For the first seven months of 2020, Singapore’s container throughput fell 2 per cent year on year, lower than for many other ports. “If you compare this to other sectors in the economy, in particular aviation, the maritime sector has so far been quite resilient during this pandemic,” said Mr Chee.

As global supply chains are being reorganised, talent is key to enable Singapore to seize new opportunities, he said. In the coming months and years, the Ministry of Transport and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will expand the sector’s base of talent.

8. Call for global system of safe corridors for ship crew change.

26 August 2020 : International shipping accounts for around 90 per cent of world trade, according to latest figures from the International Chamber of Shipping. This means we all rely on shipping to deliver the goods and products on which we depend – from energy to food to manufactured goods to cement. Maritime transport is the engine of globalisation.

Seafarers, therefore, are absolutely critical to modern life in this globalised world, says Capt Rajesh Unni, Founder and CEO, Synergy Marine Group, one of the world’s leading shipmanagers whose diverse fleet of more than 300 vessels includes some of the industry’s most sophisticated vessels.

It is a hard job in a difficult environment which involves spending long periods separated from the loved ones. “This (job) is not for everyone, and those that take up this challenge tend to be stoic but adventurous types willing to take on difficult tasks in harsh conditions,” says Capt Unni.

9. CMA CGM launches humanitarian shipping relief effort for Lebanon.

25 August 2020 : CMA CGM has launched a humanitarian relief effort to ship aid to Lebanon following the devastating blast at the Port of Beirut earlier this month. The “A Humanitarian Ship for Lebanon” campaign will see CMA CGM diverting one its ro-ro vessels from its usual service from Marseille to Beirut over the coming days to ship relief supplies.

“The campaign will allow for the transport of emergency equipment and essential goods and products provided by the CMA CGM Foundation’s NGO partners and the Group’s partner companies. The initiative also has the support of deeply engaged French public institutions which have been highly mobilized,” the French shipping company said.

10. Philippines activates 3 new crew change hubs to help seafarers in pandemic.

24 August 2020 : The Philippine transportation department said on Saturday, August 22, that it has activated 3 new crew change hubs in the country to help seafarers distressed by the pandemic. The hubs are located at the Port of Manila, Port of Capinpin in Bataan and at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Crew change is essential for seafarers to ensure their health and wellbeing, but the travel restrictions due to the pandemic have made crew change difficult the last couple of months. It is also during crew change that seafarers catch flights home.

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said the hubs will give seafarers “swift processing.” Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the country has a green lane to “provide speedy movements of seafarers.”

11. PH embassies in Oslo, Copenhagen look after Filipino seafarers.

24 August 2020 : The Philippine Embassies in Oslo and Copenhagen have stepped up their consultations with the management and owners of cruise ships employing Filipinos as crew members amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) that severely affected the shipping industry worldwide.
 
Philippine Ambassador to Norway Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia received Hurtigruten Cruises Chief Executive Officer Daniel Skjeldam at the Philippine Embassy in Oslo on August 14, 2020 to discuss the COVID-19 outbreak that recently struck the hybrid-powered cruise ship, MS Roald Amundsen.

During their discussion, Skjeldam briefed the Embassy on the measures being taken by Hurtigruten to ensure the wellbeing of its crew, most of whom are Filipinos, who are infected by the virus and uplift their morale.

References :

– www.penningtonslaw.com

– www.hellenicshippingnews.com

– seanews.co.uk

– www.stuff.co.nz

– www.rivieramm.com

– www.business-standard.com

– www.maritimeprofessional.com

– www.thehindubusinessline.com

– www.seatrade-maritime.com

– rappler.com

– mb.com.ph

1. Updating safety management systems: protecting crew from Covid-19.

28 August 2020 : The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant issues for crew members on board vessels across the globe, and the impact it has had on their physical and mental health has been the focus of some attention. The spotlight is on employers of crew, as well as owners and operators of vessels, to ensure that they and their vessels have in place a system that prioritises the health and safety of crew members and ensures that they are protected, so far as reasonably practicable, not only from the everyday dangers they face at sea but also from infectious diseases such as Covid-19.

Relevant law

UK flagged vessels must comply with the standards established by the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (as amended) (MLC).

The starting point in respect of the safety and health of crew is Article IV of the MLC, which provides that:

• every seafarer has the right to a safe and secure workplace that complies with safety standards;

• every seafarer has a right to fair terms of employment;

• every seafarer has a right to decent working and living conditions on board ships;

• every seafarer has a right to health protection, medical care, welfare measures and other forms of social protection; and

• each member state shall ensure that the seafarers’ employment and social rights are fully implemented in accordance with the requirements of this Convention.

2. MARINA sends rules on seafarers’ ‘green lane’ to IMO.

28 August 2020 : To allow for the “speedy and safe travels” of seafarers during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) said it has communicated the country’s guidelines for the establishment of a “green lane” for seafarers to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

In a statement on Tuesday, the MARINA said the guidelines, made in response to the IMO’s recommendations for safe ship crew changes during the pandemic, would allow for the safe and swift disembarkation and crew change of seafarers in the country.

“These guidelines were formulated through an inter-agency effort in order to expedite the travels of seafarers involved in deployment, disembarkation, and crew changes by establishing a Philippines Green Lane,” the MARINA said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and other government agencies in July signed the Philippine Green Lane Joint Circular that would facilitate the creation of controlled travel lanes to stimulate the country’s economy through the safe and efficient movement of seafarers.

3. ICS’ new protocols to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 onboard ships.

27 August 2020 : The brand-new protocols aim to safeguard the health of seafarers and guarantee the safe operations of maritime trade – offering governments and the general public reassurance that seafarers can embark and disembark ships safely. 

Following concerns over COVID-19 infections onboard ships, due to a small minority failing to adhere to industry guidance, ICS, along with IMHA and INTERTANKO, took the initiative to create the new COVID-19 protocols on 25 August 2020. Building on previous health guidance released by ICS in May, the new document equips ships operators with two useful and practical tools to safely manage cases on vessels: 

1. A flowchart to help identify the process to follow when managing a larger number of suspected cases on vessels; and 

2. A PCR testing procedures matrix to help identify what to do and when prior to boarding and if a suspect case is identified on ships.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 related travel restrictions have limited the global shipping industry’s ability to rotate ships’ crew. There are now over a quarter of a million seafarers stranded at sea, waiting to be repatriated.

4. Pacific Basin applies VSAT connectivity for crew welfare.

27 August 2020 : The Hong Kong-headquartered shipowner is using KVH Industries VSAT communications network for crew welfare and operational connectivity with ship-to-shore and shore-to-ship communications over wide-beam and high-throughput satellites (HTS) using Ku-band.

Pacific Basin uses KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband HTS satellite network and antenna technology, and KVH’s YourLink service to transmit company messages and video to seafarers aboard its 116 Handysize and Supramax bulk carriers using multicast technology.

Pacific Basin has already transmitted two time-sensitive videos, including one on the crucial topic of crew changes during these tough times. In the video, Pacific Basin’s fleet director Jay K Pillai discusses the efforts being made to enable seafarers to disembark their vessels for crew changes, despite worldwide port call restrictions due to Covid-19.

5. India : Change of over 100,000 crew members facilitated at ports: Shipping Ministry.

26 August 2020 : The shipping ministry on Tuesday said it has facilitated change of more than one lakh crew members at Indian ports and through chartered flights amid the coronavirus pandemic. Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya lauded the efforts to help stranded seafarers during the pandemic and called for having a robust grievance redressal mechanism for seafarers.

“Ministry of Shipping has facilitated more than 1,00,000 crew changes on Indian ports and through charter flights. It is the highest number of crew change in the world,” the Ministry of Shipping said in a statement. Crew change consists of replacing one set of a ship’s crew members with another set of people and involves sign-on and sign-off procedures.

Despite the maritime sector being one of the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the statement said that all the Indian ports were operational and were providing essential services throughout the pandemic. They stood as main pillars ensuring smooth supply chain for India and the world, it added.

6. Sailors’ Society Launches Helpline for Indian Seafarers.

26 August 2020 : A new dedicated helpline aims to support Indian seafarers and their families as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place added pressures on maritime workers globally.

The round-the-clock helpline was set up by Sailors Welfare Association, an affiliate of international maritime welfare charity Sailors’ Society, after the charity saw a marked increase in calls for help from desperate seafarers, many of whom had lost incomes or were anxious and struggling to cope.  

Staffed by a team of professional psychologists, chaplains, maritime lawyers and social workers, the confidential helpline is available free-of-charge for seafarers and their families to call and receive advice in a variety of languages including Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Telugu, Bengali and Malayalam.  

“Seafarers and their family members can call us about anything at all; we’re here to help with whatever they need,” said Gavin Lim, Sailors’ Society’s regional manager – Asia. “We know many seafarers are under huge pressure right now and so we’re really pleased to be able offer this new service. The helpline team is highly skilled and well-placed to provide support and guidance to anyone in need of help.”

7. Over 200 traineeship opportunities offered in maritime sector.

26 August 2020 : OVER 200 traineeships in the maritime sector are being made available for fresh and recent graduates under the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, with similar attachment opportunities for mid-career workers, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Foreign Affairs Chee Hong Tat announced on Tuesday.

“While Covid-19 has hit many sectors hard, the maritime sector has remained resilient,” he said in a webinar that kicked off the two-day MSC Maritime Careers Workshop, showcasing opportunities in the sector.

For the first seven months of 2020, Singapore’s container throughput fell 2 per cent year on year, lower than for many other ports. “If you compare this to other sectors in the economy, in particular aviation, the maritime sector has so far been quite resilient during this pandemic,” said Mr Chee.

As global supply chains are being reorganised, talent is key to enable Singapore to seize new opportunities, he said. In the coming months and years, the Ministry of Transport and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) will expand the sector’s base of talent.

8. Call for global system of safe corridors for ship crew change.

26 August 2020 : International shipping accounts for around 90 per cent of world trade, according to latest figures from the International Chamber of Shipping. This means we all rely on shipping to deliver the goods and products on which we depend – from energy to food to manufactured goods to cement. Maritime transport is the engine of globalisation.

Seafarers, therefore, are absolutely critical to modern life in this globalised world, says Capt Rajesh Unni, Founder and CEO, Synergy Marine Group, one of the world’s leading shipmanagers whose diverse fleet of more than 300 vessels includes some of the industry’s most sophisticated vessels.

It is a hard job in a difficult environment which involves spending long periods separated from the loved ones. “This (job) is not for everyone, and those that take up this challenge tend to be stoic but adventurous types willing to take on difficult tasks in harsh conditions,” says Capt Unni.

9. CMA CGM launches humanitarian shipping relief effort for Lebanon.

25 August 2020 : CMA CGM has launched a humanitarian relief effort to ship aid to Lebanon following the devastating blast at the Port of Beirut earlier this month. The “A Humanitarian Ship for Lebanon” campaign will see CMA CGM diverting one its ro-ro vessels from its usual service from Marseille to Beirut over the coming days to ship relief supplies.

“The campaign will allow for the transport of emergency equipment and essential goods and products provided by the CMA CGM Foundation’s NGO partners and the Group’s partner companies. The initiative also has the support of deeply engaged French public institutions which have been highly mobilized,” the French shipping company said.

10. Philippines activates 3 new crew change hubs to help seafarers in pandemic.

24 August 2020 : The Philippine transportation department said on Saturday, August 22, that it has activated 3 new crew change hubs in the country to help seafarers distressed by the pandemic. The hubs are located at the Port of Manila, Port of Capinpin in Bataan and at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Crew change is essential for seafarers to ensure their health and wellbeing, but the travel restrictions due to the pandemic have made crew change difficult the last couple of months. It is also during crew change that seafarers catch flights home.

Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad said the hubs will give seafarers “swift processing.” Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the country has a green lane to “provide speedy movements of seafarers.”

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