The International Civil Aviation Organization, a specialist body of the United Nations, has issued guidance urging governments to enable the movement by air of seafarers so that relief crews can join their ships and off-signing crew can go home.
In the ICAO’s new guidance, the aviation body argues that the continuation of air transport is critical to support the delivery of goods and services. It further argues that aviation’s services to the supply of goods could be “facilitated by the implementation of public health measures proportionate to the risk”.
Part of the guidance specifically applies to seafarer changeover flights i.e. flights organised by the shipping industry to facilitate crew changes and to repatriate seafarers.
The ICAO notes that the world relies on seafarers to transport more than 80 per cent of trade by volume, which includes “vital food and medical goods, energy and raw materials, as well as manufactured goods” and that travel restrictions have caused hundreds of thousands of seafarers to be stranded either on ships or waiting to join ships.
An “urgent need” to facilitate seafarer changeover flights has been identified by the ICAO which argues that cancellation of flights and border restrictions are hampering routine crew changes.
The ICAO has therefore called upon governments to grant rapid authorisations for the entry, departure and transit of aircraft engaged in seafarer changeover flights (see the guidance at 5.4).
See also
“Attachment B to State letter AN 5/28-20/97 Facilitating Passenger Flights, Including Repatriation Flights Using Public Health Corridors During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” International Civil Aviation Organization
