The international Maritime Organization (IMO) has chosen to make 2021 a year of action for seafarers, who are facing unprecedented hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By Ramadhan Kambi.
That is despite their vital role as key workers for global supply chains. With the World Maritime Theme for 2021 being; “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future” which seeks to increase the visibility of seafarers by drawing attention to the invaluable role they play now and will continue to play in the future.
Launching the World Maritime theme last month, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim said more ggovernments’ must step up to end the crew change crisis.
“We all must do better to support our brave professionals who continue to deliver global trade. The dedication and professionalism of more than one and a half million seafarers worldwide deserve our great admiration and gratitude – but most importantly, immediate action,” Mr Lim said.
“A first step would be for all countries to designate seafarers as key workers, as outlined in the United Nations General Assembly Resolution adopted in December,” Mr Lim added, referring to the UNGA resolution on International cooperation to address challenges faced by seafarers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to support global supply chains.
Throughout the year, the World Maritime Theme will also put the spotlight on other issues related to the human element of shipping, including the safety and security of life on board ships, seafarers’ well-being, and the importance of ensuring an appropriately trained and qualified workforce, ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of digitalization and automation.
The focus on seafarers he said is also in line with the work carried out by the Organization, since the beginning of the pandemic and before.
“At IMO, seafarers have always been at the centre of all our work, be it in the area of safety, maritime security, or environmental protection,” the Secretary-General said.
As part of its efforts to put seafarers at the heart of discussions, IMO is launching a series of profiles in which seafarers express their views on their work and the future of shipping.
Seafarers are vital to supply chains, delivering 80 per cent of global trade, including food, medicine and energy. The World Maritime Theme for 2021, “Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future”, will address many of the issues confronting the maritime workforce, including recruitment and retention of seafarers, diversity, training, environment protection and digitalisation of shipping.
“The 2021 theme is also a continuation of, and is directly linked to the 2020 theme “Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet” to highlight the role that seafarers will play in ensuring the sustainable future for shipping,” he said.