BIMCO launches campaign to highlight the crucial role of seafarers

March 25 ------ BIMCO has launched a campaign film to highlight the urgent need for governments and stakeholders to better protect seafarers.

The campaign responds to growing concerns about the risks seafarers face in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment. In recent years, there has been a rise in conflict-affected shipping routes, weak government protections, and cases of unjust criminalization of seafarers. Around 20,000 seafarers are currently stranded in the Persian Gulf, where they face heightened danger and significant mental stress. BIMCO stresses that disruptions to shipping not only affect global trade but also have serious human consequences for the crews involved and their families.

BIMCO Secretary General & CEO David Loosley has called on governments to focus more on the human cost of these risks. He emphasized that when ships are attacked, detained, or hijacked, families back home suffer from fear and uncertainty about their loved ones’ safety. The organization is also concerned about seafarers being criminalized in cases such as drug discoveries or environmental incidents, sometimes without sufficient evidence or due process. "Seafarers should never be detained or sentenced without sufficient evidence and due process. We need governments to oppose liability regimes that presume guilt and we need full enforcement of international conventions to ensure that our seafarers are protected," Loosley stressed.

In response to these issues, BIMCO is urging governments to enforce international legal protections and oppose liability systems that presume guilt. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has also been a push to recognize seafarers as key workers.

This status has now been adopted by the European Union and through recent amendments to the Maritime Labor Convention by the International Labor Organization, reinforcing their importance to global trade. BIMCO continues to call on all nations to formally recognize and protect seafarers as essential workers.

Source: safety4sea.com