Coles Launches Seafarer “Green Channel Travel” Petition

by John Konrad (gCaptain) Frank Coles is turning into a one-man force to be reckoned with. Articles are written by the ex-group CEO at Wallem, and CEO Transas, and President of Inmarsat Maritime, on gCaptain and Splash24/7 has been shared tens of thousands of times. Now Frank has launched a Change.org petition asking Biden, Boris Johnson, and the EU to create “green channels” to expedite seafarer travel to and from their ships.

The most explosive article about Coles, published as part of gCaptain’s Day Of The Seafarer series, came shortly after his interview on Lena Göthberg’s popular Shipping Podcast. The article, titled “Seafarers Need To Strike, Says Frank Coles“, has been read 15,164 times and was shared by over 8,600 people via social media.

“I don’t want it to happen but I think it should be talked about,” said Coles. “We need a global strike of all seafarers because change has never happened without something really bringing the role of the seafarer to the forefront. While we continue to have seafarers who work in squalid and appalling conditions, while nobody in government is willing to stand up, nothing is going to change.”

Coles’ latest work is a petition launched this weekend that has already reached its initial goal of over 1,000 signatures.

“Countries have closed their borders, flights stopped and extremely taxing rules put in place for any travel,” says Coles.  “This has placed an extraordinary strain on the mental welfare of the mariners.  It also puts the safety of ships at risk. Mariners at home have been unable to join ships, and have been unable to support their families.”

Coles believes the industry will comply with vaccines and isolation mandates but we must have a global enforceable protocol for the repatriation of mariners and health care in ports. He also believes that we must get the world leaders to create a protocol that sets out the right of seafarers to travel to and from ships without the onerous regulations for visas.  

Click HERE to read, sign, and share this petition supporting seafarers

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