The UN General Assembly approved the resolution calling for the designation of seafarers as essential workers

Expressing satisfaction with the adoption of the resolution, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Kitack Lim, expressed gratitude "to those nations that have already taken measures to designate seafarers as essential workers and all UN agencies and industrial partners who have worked tirelessly to find ways to solve the difficult situation. This , lim pointed out, is a human rights issue. The lives of seafarers are made impossible by the difficulties of changing crews and this, the longer that situation, it can only have an effect harmful to the safety of ships and the chain of supplies.'

Praise the Indonesian government for promoting approval of this resolution, which was tabled by Dian Triansyah Djani, Indonesian Ambassador to the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Guy Platten recalled that "the impossibility of leave it to seafarers to their ships and to provide safe transport and smoothly across international borders puts at risk the flow of trade on which all our the economies.'

"Two million seafarers, 555,000 of whom work for European shipping - highlighted the Secretary-General European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA), Martin Dorsman - play a key role in ensuring that global supply chains continue to operate without interruption despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic. Thank the European Commission and the different EU Member States - has added Dorsman -- for their hard work in soliciting the designation of seafarers as essential workers, in order to facilitate their direct and transit travel to and from ships and we call on all other EU Member States to do the same and to encourage third countries to follow suit as well.'

The European Shipowners' Association also reiterated its support for the IMO's call for seafarers and seafarers to other maritime workers are taken as a matter of priority in considered in the context of vaccination campaigns, so as to to enable them to do their job and to maintain their global supply chains.

"The UN resolution- commented the President of the Of the Italian Shipowners' Confederation (Confitarma), Mario Mattioli - it is very important and constitutes a significant step to solve the global crisis of crew changes. Compared to the first months of the year - mattioli specified - the situation is improving slightly. However, there are still thousands of seafarers stuck on our ships and as many seafarers who cannot replace them due to restrictions on international travel introduced by foreign governments to counter covid-19 pandemic, with some situations, in particular in China, which are becoming real humanitarian emergencies. Confitarma, also through ICS and ECSA to which it adheres - has mattioli remembered -- since the beginning of this crisis it has so that Italian ships could continue to transport the goods necessary for everyone's daily lives, while protecting the health and welfare of all workers seafarers, who have always been the key resource for the Italian armament and they're doing an amazing job maintaining global supply chains. It does not stop the our work with institutions to enable our "heroes to of the sea" to go home and embrace their families in the coming Christmas holidays.'