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Some 400,000 seafarers are unable to disembark due to Corona travel restrictions and some have been at sea for 17 months or more. The UN Human Rights Office condemned this as inhumane on Tuesday in Geneva.
International labor standards allow an uninterrupted stay on board for up to eleven months. The office called on all governments to find solutions. She also called on companies around the world doing business in freight transport to put pressure on them. That affects 90 percent of world trade.
Sailors on land are also left behind
Seafarers on container ships and other cargo ships, but also on fishing boats and oil and gas platforms, are affected. Mental health would be compromised, as would the human rights to freedom of movement and the right to family life.
Unions have suggested that these seafarers should be labeled “key workers” with less stringent travel restrictions. Aside from seamen stuck, there are likely to be around 400,000 seafarers on land due to lack of crew turnover who are unable to get to their jobs and consequently unable to earn money. (SDA)
