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The Covid-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crew change crisis which has led to hundreds of thousands of seafarers being impacted, and in many instances left stranded on ships, beyond the expiry of their contracts. Despite significant efforts by international organizations, governments, industry associations, labor unions, NGOs and individual companies, including the adoption on 1 December 2020 by the UN General Assembly of a resolution on International cooperation to address challenges faced by seafarers as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to support global supply chains, the issue is still far from resolved.

Seafarers are the frontline workers of the maritime industry carrying 90% of global trade and play a vital role in ensuring the global flow of goods that the world depends on. The urgent need to facilitate seafarer repatriations is a vital one and it is mandatory that we all acknowledge our joint responsibility as corporate citizens in ensuring that trade flow is unhindered. In this context we unite efforts to safeguard the sustainability of our maritime industry and effectively address the humanitarian crisis that we presently face.

Recognizing the shared responsibility to resolve the crew change crisis and our ultimate commitment to take action to protect the rights and wellbeing of our seafarers the Tsakos Group of Companies, joined more than 450 companies and global organizations and signed the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change.

The Neptune Declaration urges the implementation of four main actions to address the crisis:

• Recognize seafarers as key workers and give them priority access to Covid-19 vaccines
• Establish and implement gold standard health protocols based on existing best practice
• Increase collaboration between ship operators and charterers to facilitate crew changes
• Ensure air connectivity between key maritime hubs for seafarers

To learn more about the Neptune Declaration, please visit: https://www.globalmaritimeforum.org/neptune-declaration