The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) celebrates the Day of the Seafarer on 25 June 2021 and urges all its Members and those associated with the offshore marine contracting industry, as operators, clients, or providers of services, to recognise the efforts of seafarers and the role they play in the industry.

IMCA recognises that hundreds of thousands of seafarers, and many offshore energy workers continue to face personal difficulties being stranded, away from home for months on end, unsure when they will be able to return to their families.

Margaret Fitzgerald, IMCA’s Head of Marine Policy & Regulatory Affairs explained:

“This year, the 11th anniversary of the Day of the Seafarer instigated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), is an ideal opportunity for us all to acknowledge the contribution of seafarers in keeping the global supply chain moving and understanding the issues they have been facing since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“IMCA is an active member of the global offshore industry partnership lobbying for the rights of those whose livelihoods have been severely affected by the pandemic, working with the IMO to address the crew change crisis faced by seafarers and offshore energy sector personnel around the globe.

Margaret Fitzgerald

“These offshore workers, including those in the renewable energy sector, and hundreds of thousands of seafarers around the world have been away from home for extremely long periods. They still face uncertainty about when they will be able to return home due to travel restrictions brought about by the pandemic. And those waiting to join vessels have endured economic hardship and uncertainty. Additionally, issues surrounding when and where vaccination of seafarers should occur further complicates their movement.”

Recent IMCA activities in support of seafarers and IMO activity include:

• Signing up to The Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change

• Being part of an industry-led Vaccination Taskforce that has developed a vaccination roadmap and is working towards a pragmatic and unified approach to vaccinating seafarers

• Part of industry led groups lobbying governments, IMO and IMO states around the world to get offshore workers recognised as Key Workers to facilitate movement of offshore energy sector personnel

• Steps supported by IMO and published by the IMO’s Secretary General

• Recommendations to Governments in Circular Letter 4204/Add.13 to facilitate the movement of offshore energy sector personnel,

• Circular Letter4204/Add.6 to facilitate the movement of seafarers

• A Roadmap for Vaccination of International Seafarers in Circular Letter 4204/Add.41/Rev.1

IMCA fully supports the IMO’s Day of the Seafarer campaign that seeks to raise awareness of the work carried out by seafarers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to thank them for their contribution.
Source: IMCA