COVID-19 restrictions have meant that many ports' ship operators are unwilling or unable to allow crew to come ashore. The result is an ever-increasing numbers of crew overdue for relief but unable to be repatriated. Described by Bloomberg as the "worst shipping crisis in decades" that is putting "lives and trade at risk", current conservative estimates put the number of seafarers stranded on board ships between 300,000 to 400,00.
With the theme of World Maritime Day 2020 centred on ‘sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet’, IHRB's Francesca Fairbairn speaks to Jacqueline Smith, Maritime Coordinator at the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). Their conversation covers the urgent need for governments to address the seafarers’ humanitarian crisis, and for companies - be they cargo owners, charterers, or ship owners and operators themselves – to use their leverage to ensure this vast, vital, but often invisible workforce is protected, prioritised, and given safe passage home.
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The perception of ‘value’ needs to change if the World Bank’s mission is to succeed
Last week we attended the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C. The annual IMF-World Bank meetings bring together finance ministers and central bankers from all regions as a platform for official...
26 April 2024 | Commentary
Commentary by Vasuki Shastry, Author, ESG/Strategic Communications Expert; International Advisory Council, IHRB Haley St. Dennis, Head of Just Transitions, IHRB