Together with more than 300 other participants in the maritime industry, Saga Welco has signed The Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change, commiting us to help resolve the current crew change crisis arisen during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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.This is not an acceptable way to treat seafarers, who are the frontline workers of the maritime industry carrying 90% of global trade. Fatigue after extended periods at sea has significant consequences on the physical and mental wellbeing of seafarers. It also increases the risk of maritime incidents and environmental disasters, and poses a wider threat to the integrity of global supply chains, which depend on safe and reliable maritime transport.

As signatory, we support the following actions to be implemented:

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.

You can read the complete declaration here.

The Neptune Declaration press realease can be found here.