The three largest global organizations representing the workforces of the maritime and air transport industries have asked their government members to ensure the continued cross-border movement of these “key workers” to and from their jobs.
The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a flurry of government bans on international travel, which has obstructed necessary crew changes to keep the world’s maritime and aircraft fleet, as well as at ports and logistics hubs, in operation and goods flowing.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), one of the signatories to the May 26 statement, highlighted that more than 80% of global trade moves by ocean transport, which is managed by about two million seafarers.