The Offshore Industry Group comprising IADC, IAGC, IMCA, IOGP, ISOA (details below) strongly supports IMO’s designated Day of the Seafarer on 25th June commending the tremendous efforts and sacrifices of seafarers and personnel working in the offshore energy sector who remain critical to ensuring that the world has access to food, medicine, energy and other supplies at this challenging time for society.
In recognition of this contribution, the Group encourages its’ collective membership to sound their horns at 12 noon local time.
The Industry Group has collaborated, throughout the pandemic, in urging IMO Member States to address the significant challenges faced by seafarers and energy sector personnel working offshore who have been denied shore leave, unrestricted movement to and from their vessels to effect crew/project personnel changeovers, repatriation, medical attention and more recently access to COVID-19 vaccinations.
The #shoutoutforseafarers campaign, in support of IMO’s call for a fair future for seafarers, is aimed at reminding the world of the contribution our members have made to ensuring that society continues uninterrupted and assuring seafarers and offshore energy sector personnel that they have not been forgotten. The Industry Group calls upon IMO Member States to establish vaccination programmes to provide seafarers and offshore energy sector personnel with fair access to vaccines in at their ports of call, especially if they cannot be vaccinated in their home countries either because they are working offshore or because vaccinations are not available in those countries. This issue has become even more critical with the continuing emergence of new variants of the COVID-19 virus.
In the lead up to the 25 June, the IMO, has been inviting seafarers to answer questions on what a fair future for seafarers looks like. The answers will be shared afterwards and will provide a soundboard to help guide IMO’s actions moving forward. Polls are available on all IMO social media platforms.
