Seafarer humanitarian crisis in the spotlight of World Maritime Day

On 24 September, the IMO and the global maritime community come together to celebrate the annual World Maritime Day. The 2020 theme is Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet. The topic is in line with the industry-wide efforts pushing to save fuel, and develop green energy sources as they work to decarbonize shipping. However, the year has been completely overshadowed by the impact of COVID-19 on the industry and, especially on the seafarers, who are facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the industry. More than 300,000 seafarers are currently stranded on ships, with some now having been working for more than 17 months at sea, without a break. A further 300,000 workers are unable to join ships and potentially face unemployment due to Government-imposed travel restrictions and quarantine measures in different parts of the world.