The Dominica Martime Registry CEO Eric R. Dawicki was recently featured in Tradewinds, highlighting his efforts to get nations to do more to take care of seafarers.
“There are considerable consequences to maritime trade, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, in cases where a seafarer has been extended well beyond the allowed 11 months to 17 and even 18 months,” he wrote.
Core to the issue is a lack of designation of seafarers as essential or key personnel which has resulted in the inability to execute crew changes or repatriation of crew serving on vessels globally.
“Without broader commitment, the efforts of flag states to take care of the most important element of global maritime trade — the human element — are rendered moot…During Covid-19, when crew changes have been impacted by the lack of designation of seafarers as key or essential workers and/or other state policies preventing seafarers’ movement through their nations, overly extended seafarers are left with little recourse.”
“Every nation must designate mariners as key workers, and support others in any and all actions to facilitate crew changes and repatriation.”
Read the entire article HERE.
