Shipowner and seafarer bodies are calling for seafarers to be exempt from national travel bans, while the head of the International Maritime Organization has called for pragmatism in dealing with crew changeovers.

The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers’ Federation have sent a joint letter to the heads of United Nations agencies stressing the importance of seafarers in the circulation of global trade and the integrity of supply chains...

“We therefore wish to emphasise the vital need for the world’s professional merchant seafarers to be granted appropriate exemptions from any national travel restrictions..."

seafarers should be treated as any other international “key workers”, such as airline crew and medical personnel, they said.