By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, June 17 (Reuters) – Pope Francis paid tribute on Wednesday to hundreds of thousands of seafarers stuck on ships due to the coronavirus pandemic, a situation the United Nations has said poses a risk to the safe operation of the world’s merchant fleet.
In a special video message for sea workers, Francis said the work of maritime personnel and fishermen had been made even more important during the pandemic because it was providing the world with food and other primary needs.
He said they had been hit particularly hard by the ripple effects of the pandemic.
“In these past months, your lives and your work have seen significant changes; you have had to make, and are continuing to make, many sacrifices,” Francis said.
“Long periods spent aboard ships without being able to disembark, separation from families, friends and native countries, fear of infection…All these things are a heavy burden to bear, now more than ever.”
About 90% of world trade is transported by sea and continued complications with changing over ship crews due to restrictions against the coronavirus in some jurisdictions is still affecting supply chains despite a widespread easing of lockdowns.
On Tuesday, Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization, said some seafarers had been marooned at sea for 15 months, well over the 11-month maximum laid out in a maritime labour convention, and a situation he described as a “humanitarian crisis”.
In his message, the pope thanked them for the hardships they are enduring. “I would like to say something to all of you. Know that you are not alone and that you are not forgotten,” he said.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which represents seafarers, told them on Monday that it was no longer acceptable to force crews to work. (Additional reporting by Jonathan Saul in London Editing by Mark Heinrich)
by David Shepardson (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will consider President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to head the Commerce Department in a hearing...
By Daphne Psaledakis WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) – The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on companies based in China and the United Arab Emirates, accusing them of supporting the...
Inmarsat’s newest and most powerful geostationary satellite to date has entered into commercial service, the company announced today. Inmarsat said that the introduction of its GX5 satellite will provide additional...
December 10, 2020
Total Views: 3384
Sign Up Now for gCaptain Daily
Just enter your email and get hot news every morning
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.