Global manufacturers and retailers have warned that their ability to supply goods is dependent on working supply chains, which are being disrupted.
About 800,000 seafarers are now adversely affected by government actions and that figure will soon be one million people, a maritime expert has warned. Seafarers are being subject to forced labour, the safety of life at sea is in the balance, and the maritime environment is imperilled.
The cause of all these catastrophes? Government-imposed restrictions on shipping and the movement of ships’ crew members.
Unsustainable and at breaking point
Guy Platten, secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping, has warned world governments that the international shipping industry faces a dire threat from official restrictions on the movement of seafaers.
“The situation is unsustainable and is at breaking point,” Mr Platten told the 75th UN General Assembly High-Level Side Event on Covid-19 and Maritime Crew Changes: A Humanitarian, Safety, and Economic Crisis..
Today, about 400,000 seafarers are stuck aboard ships after the conclusion of their contracts, Mr Platten explained. He added that another 400,000 people are stuck ashore – often on little or no pay – and are waiting to join ships so that they can start working and earning.
One million seafarers adversely affected
In the next few months, hundreds of thousands more people will be thrown into the same desperate situation.
“We remain in a situation where seafarers are stood on board for many months over the end of their original service periods with no end to their plight or to the resolution of the crew change crisis in sight due to the ongoing travel and other restrictions imposed by governments… If this continues at this rate we could well see a million seafarers adversely affected in the coming months. This is unsustainable,” Mr Platten said.
Seven trillion-dollar industry under logjam threat
Noting that shipping transports $7 trillion of cargo every year, which includes everyday goods, essential commodities such as iron ore and energy, and medical supplies, Mr Platten warned that global trade will begin to be blocked.
“Without a resolution we could start to see a logjam that will impact each and every country and their ability to trade globally… this is one issue we absolutely cannot resolve without the help of governments,” Mr Platten said.
UN head warns of safety crisis and “devastating consequences”
António Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, highlighted the humanitarian crisis that seafarers are experiencing.
“Physically and mentally exhausted, away from their families and loved ones, their time at sea has now been extended far beyond the standards stipulated in international conventions, with some tours of duty now stretching more than 17 months. Fatigued seafarers cannot operate indefinitely, and disruptions to international shipping would have devastating consequences,” he said.
Safety of life and protection of the environment is in the balance
International Maritime Organization secretary general Kitack Lim warned world governments that their restrictive policies are adversely affecting maritime safety and the protection of the marine environment.
“Overly fatigued and mentally exhausted seafarers are being asked to continue to operate ships. Many of these seafarers have already spent more than a year at sea, well beyond their original contracts, without a proper rest and far away from their loved ones. Every single Government would agree that seafarers are crucial for the safe operation of ships, and therefore the protection of the fragile marine environment,” Mr Lim said.
“Ship safety is hanging in the balance… the safety of navigation is in peril,” he warned.
As Shipping Australia Deputy CEO Melwyn Noronha has previously noted, “fatigue is a well-known casual and contributory factor in maritime accidents.”
Governments create half a million forced labourers
Chief Executive Officers from global foodstuff suppliers, international retailers and manufacturers of healthcare and household products have also expressed their worries that government restrictions on maritime operations are threatening their ability to supply vital goods.
The signatories include CEOs from companies such as Carrefour, Nestle, Tesco, Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, and Johnson & Johnson among other well-known names.
They also note that, because of government restrictions on crew change, that hundreds of thousands of people are onboard ships, without access for shore leave, for months beyond what they originally agreed.
“The situation has… inadvertently created a modern form of forced labour,” the global consumer goods CEOs asserted.
In Australia, AMSA has shown that it is willing to detain ships until the situation is rectified if their crew members exceed the maximum 14 month contract extension. But with the limitations on international flight passenger numbers and other State based restrictions this could take months. And some off-signing crew members just can’t get a flight home.
Some governments face up to the problem, others are the problem
Ms Annick Girardin, the French Minister of Marine Affairs has called upon all countries to engage in more effective international and permanent coordination to solve the problem.
“Solutions can be found by reconciling health security imperatives with the humanitarian ones,” Ms Girardin has told the UN.
But some Australian governments are not only not helping out, they are helping to cause the problem. They have adopted policies that threaten the flow of vital goods through international supply chains. The main policy problems are found in those states that have adopted hard borders without appropriate, safe, policies for the moment of seafarers as key workers.
What is an appropriate and safe policy?
Although details of what an “appropriate policy” may be, they mostly revolve around allowing seafarers to cross borders and territory without undue hindrance subject to being continuously isolated from the Australian public. This can by moving via private transport, via safe corridors, by staying in designated accommodation and by transiting through safe hubs without being subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Federal Government rules allow seafarer movement and Queensland is doing its best to manage seafarer flights and crew changes. But owing to the structure of international aviation in Australia, the key airports that need to be available for seafarer movements are Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Accordingly, it is essential that the governments of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia implement policies that enable the easy movement of seafarers.
However, all three governments are unduly blocking the movement of seafarers even though it is in the interests of their State, and in the interest of Australia as a whole, to help crew changes take place in their jurisdiction.
What WA, NSW and VIC must do
The ICS, the IMO, the UN and CEOs of global consumer goods suppliers and retailers have all urged governments to reduce hindrances to the movement of seafarers.
The global bodies are calling for governments to
- designate seafarers as essential key workers;
- to ensure safe crew changes can take place by implementing the IMO protocols on crew changes;
- cooperate internationally; and
- and exempt seafarers from travel restrictions.
Shipping Australia adds its voice to the calls from the United Nations, the International Maritime Organisation, the International Chamber of Shipping and the forum of vital goods manufacturers and retailers.
“If the governments of WA, NSW and VIC want ships to continue to deliver foodstuffs, everyday goods, hygiene products, medicines and medical supplies to Australians, then those governments must make it much easier to change maritime crew in Australia,” Shipping Australia CEO Rod Nairn said.
“We call upon the governments of WA, NSW and VIC to act with urgency. The longer they wait the bigger the problem gets – and it WILL impact their states.”
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