The ports concerned have been busy putting in place the necessary measures for conducting crew change operations in compliance with the requirements laid down by the authorities.
California recently amended its state workers compensation laws to create a rebuttable presumption that COVID-19 injuries arise out of an employment relationship and are compensable.
The International Group and its 13 constituent P&I Clubs, have become extremely concerned about the detrimental effect upon the mental well-being of seafarers as a result of the prolongation of their contracts of employment due to the pandemic.
The Club has been working with the Innovative Maritime Emotional Intelligence Center (I.M.E.Q) to create this important downloadable advice titled, living with lockdown at sea.
On 24 September, the Chinese Ministry of Transport, General Administration of Customs, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly issued an Announcement (Announcement of the Ministry of Transport No.
UK Club correspondents in South Korea have provided the following two updates regarding strict regulations for vessels arriving at South Korea with crew joining from certain countries.
On the 29th September 2020 the ICS published the attached guidelines for ship operators for protecting seafarers during Covid-19, this publication has been supported by the International Group.
On 11 September 2020, the IMO posted a Joint Statement by the United Nations Specialized Agencies calling on all Governments to immediately recognise seafarers as key workers and to take swift and effective action to eliminate obstacles to crew changes.
Recently, Chinese ports are strengthening epidemic prevention and control measures on vessels having changed crew overseas within 14 days, especially for Pilipino seafarers or vessels that have changed crew members in the Philippines.
In the following article, ‘Shame on port states’ in the July 2020 edition of the Maritime Reporter & Engineering News, the author, Dennis L. Bryant of Bryant’s Maritime Consulting, adds his voice to the maritime industry’s pleasfor safe crew changes.
Under the International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), port states must ensure that seafarers on board ships in their territory who are in need of immediate medical care are given access to medical facilities on shore.
The Club recently reported on calls made by various organisations including the IMO, the ILO and the ICAO for urgent action to be taken on crew changes.
The USCG in its Marine Safety Information Bulletin (IMSB) dated 9 April 2020, notes that disruptions to supply chains and workforce availability in the current COVID-19 pandemic can lead to delays in the installation and the commissioning of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS). The Coast Guard is, therefore, adjusting its extension policy under the US Ballast Water Management Regulations for vessels which may be impacted by the pandemic, with BWTS compliance dates before 1 April 2021. In instances where the pandemic has made it impractical to perform necessary or scheduled work on a vessel;
