Philippines joins other countries to help stranded seafarers at sea because of Covid-19

There are about 200,000 seafarers stranded due to Covid-19. Most of them are trapped because of travel restrictions. Many countries including United States, Britain and Singapore agreed to speed up the attempt to get thousands of seafarers home after they had been at the sea for many months.

Photo credit: seafarerswelfare.org

According to the UN's International Maritime Organization, there are so many travel restrictions that make the companies of seafarers almost impossible to turn around crews. A lot have been at sea for longer than 11-month limit laid out in a maritime labor convention.

Many sailors are already at a breaking point says shipping industry officials. As described by United Nations, sailors are in a situation called humanitarian crisis and Maritime welfare charities have warned about an increase in suicides. 

UK government statement said in a virtual summit hosted by Britain, representatives of Denmark, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United States agreed to open up foreign borders for seafarers and increase the number of commercial flights to speed up repatriation efforts.

They also committed to delegate seafarers as key workers and encouraged other countries to follow.

Britain's Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said, "Today marks a new chapter for seafarers and alongside our international partners, we are taking a stand to end the bureaucracy preventing men and women around the world from returning home."

Coronavirus restrictions in some jurisdictions are still affecting the supply chains despite an easing of lockdown in many parts of the world. There are about 90% of world trade is transported by sea.

The countries who had agreed to open up borders must now act on their commitments, said Guy Platten, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping association.

He added, "Governments must now use this summit as a catalyst to implement the solutions the shipping industry has provided, applying the political will needed to put them into practice."