IMO denounces "no crew changes" clauses in Charter Parties

In a press briefing dated 21 December 2020, the Secretary-General of the IMO spoke out against "no crew change" clauses in charterparties, pointing out that such clauses exacerbate the dire situation of stranded seafarers and undermine the efforts undertaken to resolve the ongoing crew change crisis.

As the crew change crisis enters its tenth month, over 400,000 seafarers remain onboard ships, well beyond the expiration of their seafarer employment agreements, some not being paid and all unable to be repatriated. A similar number remain unable to join ships, and as a result find themselves unable to begin their contracts and earn a living.

Members are directed to the IMO's Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic home page, and to the UK Club's dedicated crew change resource page for additional information on the issues surrounding crew changes and repatriation of seafarers during this pandemic.