Between March and August 2020 it is estimated that only about 25% of normal crew changes were able to take place, 由于国家卫生和移民当局实施的限制以及大多数国际航班的暂停. 人们日益认识到，海员的服役期限不能无限期延长，目前的情况是不可持续的.

除了严重的人道主义和船员福利问题, 以及法规遵从性问题, there is an increasing risk that fatigue will lead to serious maritime accidents. If this situation continues indefinitely and ships are unable to operate safely in compliance with international rules, 大量船只可能不得不暂停运营. 这将对维持全球供应链产生严重后果，而在这一全球危机时期，所有国家的经济都如此依赖全球供应链.

It is hard to be precise about numbers, but at least half a million seafarers have been affected. 2020年8月, 估计超过150人,000 seafarers required immediate repatriation with as many as 250,000 serving on extended crew contracts who were overdue to return home, in addition to those needing to join their ships in order to work and keep the world fleet moving. Unless governments take necessary actions to facilitate crew changes, the number of crews stranded at sea seems set to further increase.

As well as restrictions placed on the movement of seafarers by national and local authorities, 还有一个问题是，主要换机港和主要劳力供应国之间的大多数航班继续停飞, especially those located in Asia where the majority of the world’s seafarers reside.

2020年6月15日, 国际运输工人联合会(ITF)宣布，它无法同意进一步全面延长其与国际海事雇主理事会(IMEC)签订的合同，该合同适用于包括菲律宾在内的主要劳动力供应国的许多海员, 印度和东欧. 尽管ICS和ITF一直保持着良好的合作, it is clear that in response to increasing distress among ships’ crews, 谁仍然无法返回家园, 海员工会的耐心正在耗尽

国际海事组织议定书框架

领导航运业船员变更工作小组, 成立于2020年4月初, ICS实行了一项包含若干要素的战略. 第一个是ICS的发展, 从更广泛的行业投入, 5月初通过国际海事组织向各国政府分发了一份全面的“议定书框架”，以安全进行船员更换.

These Protocols set out in detail the measures 哪一个。 shipping companies should take throughout the crew change process, 以及支持这一观点的文件. The Protocols cover the entire process from before seafarers leave their homes, 通过机场旅行和在另一个国家上船——在另一个方向旅行也是如此. 作为遵守这些议定书的回报, and recognising the ‘key worker’ status of seafarers advocated by IMO, 预计各国政府将为更换机组人员提供便利, notwithstanding any restrictions that might apply to other international travellers.

应该理解的是，“12步”, 正如我们所知的海事组织议定书所概述的那样, are only a framework 哪一个。 national governments can adapt according to prevailing national circumstances. 因此，ICS成员一直在与有关国家当局密切联系，使这些议定书在地方一级发挥作用.

然而, while the use and recognition of these IMO Protocols has gained traction worldwide, 许多国家当局继续坚持对海员适用检疫程序或其他不切实际的要求, such as ships having to remain at berth or anchor until those seafarers being repatriated have departed on their flights, 哪一个。, 考虑到航班短缺, 都有很大的问题.

There is also still much uncertainty about testing requirements, 哪一个。 ICS intends to address in a revised version of the Protocols
提交给国际海事组织.

局势一直很不稳定，很难概括地说，在解决问题方面取得了多大进展. 除了定期航班的持续短缺, problems with conducting crew changes continue to be acute in much of Asia. Nations such as India and China have largely restricted crew changes, 在某种程度上，他们是被允许的, 对属于本国国民的海员, 不过，就印度而言，一旦它完成为所有印度公民提供的一般遣返航班方案，这种情况就有可能改变.

亚洲主要的机务枢纽都在香港, Singapore and the Philippines have gradually removed a number of major obstacles to crew changes. 然而, while there has been some softening of the attitude on the part of many national authorities, 这通常是“向前两步”的情况, “后退一步”，因为在本地感染复发(通常归因于来自海外的旅客)后，重新实施了限制. Disappointingly this has sometimes been the case in both Hong Kong and Singapore, 尽管他们是全球海运中心, 尽管在2020年8月底，有一些积极的迹象表明，地方当局的灵活性有所增加.

签证问题

The situation in Europe partially improved in the summer of 2020 as limited tourism flights were permitted to resume, and the effort made by many EU governments and the United Kingdom towards facilitating crew changes, 不论有关海员的国籍, 是值得赞扬的. (Efforts made by the United States and Middle East nations merit special mention too.然而), 对于许多希望往返欧盟申根区的非欧盟海员来说，获得必要的签证仍然是一个重大挑战. This has been due to the limited capacity of EU Member State consulates in the principal labour supply countries, 其中许多都关闭了很长一段时间. Working with the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the European Commission, ICS一直在敦促增加欧盟国家向抵达的海员签发签证或获得临时豁免签证要求的可能性.

来帮助解决船员更换危机, ICS领导制定了国际海事组织关于船员安全更换的议定书框架，目前正在世界各国政府中推广.

重启机组换机

关于主要船员更换港口和海员主要居住国之间仍然缺乏国际航班, ICS has worked with the International Maritime Employers’ Council and others, in cooperation with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 建立对机组更换航班可能需求的估计，并确定可能需要这些需求的机场.

很有可能, 至少在短期内是这样, that it may only be possible to conduct crew changes via a limited number of airports, 国际航运公司也一直在探讨是否需要将一些船只改道到靠近有航班的主要机场的港口. This has included addressing the complex commercial and insurance implications of doing so, 特别是在不定期船舶贸易中.

租船人的角色

与国际P集团合作&我的俱乐部, 大发黄金版网页版登录投入了相当大的努力，制定了一项示范租船合同条款，以便在疫情的特殊情况下，船舶可能需要偏离航线进行船员更换时使用.

The ICS Maritime Law Committee subsequently agreed in May that BIMCO should take this work forward to completion, BIMCO于2020年7月正式发布了一项示范条款. ICS现在正在支持向租船公司推广这一条款和其他示范条款，这些租船公司需要承担在这种前所未有的情况下允许船员变更的责任.

不幸的是, 许多散货船租船人似乎不愿意为船员变动而调整船只，即使是很小的偏差, 即使费用完全由船东支付.

集装箱船公司的客户, 其中包括大型跨国公司, could also play a greater role in highlighting the need for governments to take action to resolve this serious crisis. 除了人道主义的必要性, given the impacts of the inability of ships to conduct crew changes for the maintenance of safe and efficient supply chains, 这真的应该是一个开明的利己主义问题.

政治行动的必要性

进一步推动各国政府采取行动, 大发黄金版网页版登录(和英国航运协会)说服英国政府于2020年7月9日主办一次关于船员更换危机的全球部长峰会. 这次高级别会议, attended by senior political representatives from a wide range of nations, 以及国际海事组织, 国际劳工组织, ICS和ITF, 作出若干有益的承诺. 但是，要在直接负责国家卫生和移民政策的各部委的最高政治层面将这些善意的愿望转化为真正的实际行动，还需要做更多的工作, in order to address a situation 哪一个。 is increasingly unsustainable.

必须强调的是，货船和船员旅行给更广泛人群带来的感染风险相对较低, especially given the health protection measures being taken across the industry. 然而，世界上许多政府仍然没有采取行动. 尽管海员是全球“关键工人”, the restrictions that apply to the movement of ships’ crews are often more onerous than those for tourists.

解决这一危机的主要障碍是，许多卫生边境保护当局仍然对海员在全球贸易流动中的重要作用缺乏全面了解. 考虑到航运对全球经济的重要性, action is therefore urgently needed at the very highest political level. 这意味着行动而不是言辞. 当前局势的延续, with hundreds of thousands of seafarers being forced to work beyond their contracts is simply untenable.

Patience throughout the global shipping community is wearing thin. 该行业通过发展发挥了自己的作用, 坚持, 国际海事组织关于船员安全更换的详细议定书. In view of the repeated calls from G20 leaders to keep world trade moving, 以及大量联合国机构为各国政府履行其签署的外交公约所规定的义务, the world’s national leaders no longer have any excuses for further inaction.