THE LATEST data from the Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator suggests the crew change crisis has not re-escalated amid the Ukraine war, but challenges remain for Russian and Ukrainian seafarers.
The crew change indicator is published each month by the Global Maritime Forum. It builds on aggregated data provided by ship managers to monitor the ongoing crew change situation.
According to recent data, the number of seafarers who remain onboard vessels beyond the expiry of their contracts has increased slightly, from 4.2% in April to 4.5% this month.
The number of seafarers onboard beyond the maximum 11-month contract period has decreased very slightly, from 0.4% last month to 0.3% in May.
The Global Maritime Forum said the figures indicate the situation is stabilising, and that the war in Ukraine and lockdowns in China have not caused the crew change situation to deteriorate as expected.
Last month, Global Maritime Forum managing director Kasper Søgaard highlighted fears that the crisis would re-escalate.
“The conflict in Ukraine and the recent Chinese infection spike are having impacts on crew changes,” he said in a statement at the time.
Although the numbers themselves suggest crew change has not been significantly impacted by these events, a recent calculation from the International Chamber of Shipping indicates around 500 seafarers are still trapped on vessels in Ukrainian ports.
In late April, the International Maritime Organization adopted a resolution to facilitate the urgent removal of seafarers from the Black Sea and Sea of Azov under “grave concern” for the injuries and deaths of seafarers as a result of the conflict.
Around the same time, the Mission to Seafarers released its Seafarers Happiness Index report for the first quarter of 2022, which indicated seafarers’ wellbeing had reached an all-time low due to challenges associated with the conflict.
And, according to the most recent Neptune Indicator, ship managers are reporting logistical challenges in carrying out crew changes for Russian and Ukrainian seafarers.
“The May Neptune Indicator shows continued progress on seafarers’ access to vaccines and a continued stabilisation of the crew change situation despite the current lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine,” Mr Søgaard said.
“This is positive, but as we have seen in the past couple of years, things can change at short notice, so we need to remain vigilant in order to protect the wellbeing of seafarers.”
Ship managers have reportedly noted an improvement in flight availability and overall easing of COVID-related flight restrictions.
The crew change situation in Asia has reportedly seen a mixture of positive developments such as the easing of restrictions in Singapore, and challenges such as ongoing port restrictions across other countries.
In terms of seafarer vaccinations, the May indicator highlighted a 6.4% increase in vaccinations, from 77.2% in April to 83.6% in May.
Vaccines are reportedly being made available for crew who have joined vessels while unvaccinated.
However, there is still some concern relating to the amount of protection provided by vaccines, and the effectiveness of vaccines against new COVID-19 variants.
