With crew movements impossible in Ukraine and increasingly difficult crew movements in Russia, some seafarers have been asked to extend their contracts
As the world watches the Russia-Ukraine crisis events unfold, the maritime industry is monitoring the situation closely as well. In particular, crew changes and harmony of existing crew on board are crucial issues at hand, due to the global nature of the maritime industry.
During a discussion hosted by InterManager, Columbia shipmanagement had shared that they had approached their crews to delay rotations in lieu of the crew shortages from Ukraine and Russia. The situation now in Ukraine, is that men between 18 to 60 years old are not allowed to leave the country and if the current Ukrainian crew leaves or ends their contracts early, there would be no replacement as airports and ports are closed.
Ensuring that business runs smooth
Managers have also reported that there were no spikes in reports of onboard conflicts between the Russian and Ukrainian crews. However, many have warned that emotions were running high as seafarers worry about their families and the situation back home. And if left to fester, the professionalism on board may be affected when seafarers’ families get impacted by the crisis.
To that, InterManager President Mark O’Neil urged the maritime community to come together and support all seafarers for the good of the business, “We are an international business with an international perspective and we need to remain international at this challenging time. This is a humanitarian effort.”
This effort is for all seafarers – not just the Ukrainian, but Russian seafarers as well, “This is not a Russian war, this is a Russia war and we’ve got to look after the interests and worries and sensitivities and shame of our Russian seafarers and colleagues as well,” O’Neil added.
Source:
Splash247
Hellenic Shipping News
Crewing Online Media Team
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