2020-12-16T12:04:00+00:00
The IMO used UN Human Rights Day to highlight the plight of seafarers who are still stranded at sea. It has issued a strong call for their fundamental rights to be respected.
Photo credit: Pacific Basin Shipping
The
IMO estimates that as many as 400,000 seafarers are currently stuck aboard ships beyond the end of their original contracts and unable to be repatriated, due to Covid-related travel restrictions. Some have now been working at sea for over 18 months, well beyond the 11-month limit set out in
ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). A similar number remain stuck ashore, unable to work.