Cyprus shipping industry honours seafarers on global awareness day

'Seafarers carry world trade and the risks behind it'Cyprus’ shipping industry has joined the global maritime community in marking this year’s Day of the Seafarer, paying tribute to the people who keep goods, energy and food moving across the world while often carrying the heaviest risks out of public view. The Cyprus Shipping Chamber (CSC) said seafarers remain at the centre of global supply chains, even if their role is rarely visible in everyday life. “Behind every shipment delivered, every supermarket stocked and every economy connected, there is a #Seafarer making it possible,” the chamber said. This year’s theme, ‘Carrying world trade. Carrying the risks’, comes at a particularly difficult moment for the industry, as crews continue to face long periods away from home, demanding working conditions, security threats at sea and the wider impact of geopolitical tensions on global shipping. For the chamber, the day is therefore not only about recognition. It is also a reminder that the people who keep trade moving should not be left to carry these pressures alone. “While Seafarers carry world trade, they should not have to carry these challenges alone,” it said, adding that “today, we stand with Seafarers everywhere and express our respect, appreciation and continue our support for the people who keep global trade moving safely across the world’s oceans and protect them.” The statement comes as the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) released a wider declaration setting out ten key policy focus areas for governments, industry, unions and international organisations, aimed at improving seafarers’ lives and placing their welfare more firmly at the heart of public policy. The scale of that responsibility is hard to overstate. According to the ICS, around 90 per cent of world trade is transported by sea, supported by more than 2.5 million seafarers working on up to 74,000 vessels. Those crews help move more than 12 billion tonnes of cargo every year, alongside well over 30 million ocean-going passengers, making shipping essential not only to trade, but also to energy security, food supply and crisis resilience. However, despite that central role, the ICS warned that seafarers often remain largely invisible in political decision-making outside maritime ministries. That invisibility matters. Decisions taken in areas such as border control, public health, migration and national security can directly affect whether seafarers are able to join ships, return home, access shore leave or work safely on board. The declaration also comes as the industry marks 20 years since the adoption of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, widely regarded as the cornerstone of decent work at sea. The convention brought together dozens of earlier labour standards into a single framework covering seafarers’ working and living conditions, while also creating a more level playing field for responsible shipowners. The ICS said the strength of the convention lies not only in its rules, but also in the cooperation it creates between governments, employers and workers through the International Labour Organisation’s tripartite system. It also warned that where the MLC is weakened, only partly applied or applied inconsistently, both seafarers and fair competition become more vulnerable. The ICS declaration places the MLC, 2006 at the centre of its policy message. Its first group of priorities focuses on areas that continue to shape seafarer employment in a positive way, including full implementation of the convention, stronger and more inclusive shipboard cultures, support for minimum wage negotiations under the ILO, and balanced training as shipping moves through the energy transition. The call for inclusive shipboard cultures is particularly relevant as the sector seeks to improve wellbeing on board and ensure that women and other groups who may be vulnerable to discrimination can work in safer, more respectful environments. At the same time, the ICS said seafarers must be properly supported as shipping decarbonises. New fuels, new technologies and new regulations will require new skills, but the industry also warned that training must remain practical and focused, rather than placing unnecessary pressure on crews already working under demanding conditions. The second part of the declaration turns to areas where the ICS says further action is urgently needed. One of the strongest messages concerns the fair treatment of seafarers, particularly when crews become caught up in legal investigations in foreign jurisdictions. Because shipping is global by nature, seafarers can find themselves exposed to different legal systems and public authorities, sometimes without proper due process or sufficient regard for their human rights and mental health. The ICS therefore called on governments to take account of the ILO-IMO guidelines on the fair treatment of seafarers detained in connection with alleged crimes. Another key priority is the wider recognition of seafarers as key workers, a demand that became especially clear during the pandemic but remains just as relevant today. Restrictions affecting shore leave, crew change and repatriation do not only harm seafarers’ rights and wellbeing. They can also disrupt the movement of world trade. For this reason, the ICS called for long-term global solutions, including harmonised rules and visa-free travel for seafarers when they are transiting, joining vessels, changing crews or returning home. The declaration also places strong emphasis on maritime security and freedom of navigation. Merchant ships are increasingly exposed to the consequences of conflict, illegal seizures and attacks at sea, with crews sometimes held in unlawful captivity or placed in danger while operating in line with international rules. The ICS said such actions represent serious breaches of international law and called for stronger cooperation between governments to build the maritime security framework needed to protect both seafarers and shipping operations. The policy paper also calls for tougher action against illegal recruitment practices, including the charging of fees to seafarers as a condition of employment. Such practices are prohibited under the MLC, and the ICS said they must be eliminated through stronger enforcement, particularly in major seafarer supply countries. It also called for continued action against seafarer abandonment, describing it as an unacceptable and unethical practice that requires close cooperation between governments, industry and unions. The ICS said prompt action must continue through the joint ILO-IMO Abandonment Database Task Force whenever abandonment cases occur. A wider message runs through the declaration. Shipping does not depend only on maritime regulation, but also on decisions taken across government. A border measure, a security response or a health rule may begin as a technical decision in one ministry, but it can quickly become a human, economic and social problem when crews are left stranded on ships, unable to travel, or exposed to danger.