The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), administrator of the Panama Ship Registry, has been rendering much-needed assistance to the 318,000 seafarers that sail under the flag throughout the global crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Importantly, the AMP has thrown its considerable weight behind the International Maritime Organization’s “recommended Framework of Protocols for Ensuring Safe Crew Changes and Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic,” which seeks to persuade national governments to recognize seafarers as key workers. An important requirement contained in the Framework is that national governments make arrangements for seafarers to be able to disembark from vessels at the end of their contract, and ideally be repatriated.
The AMP stated in a release: “It is a reality that seafarers face the overwhelming pressure of staying long periods away from their family on land, they do so because they understand the valuable and decisive role they have on their backs, which is to maintain the global maritime movement, however, this laudable decision has brought them serious damages due to the disembarking bans.”
Sadly many national governments have persisted with their disembarkation bans until now. In the face of such obduracy, the AMP, through the General Directorate of Seafarers (DGGM), has been vigilant and attentive to the needs of seafarers since February of this year, when important measures were adopted in order to counter the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic while benefiting around 318,000 seafarers of all nationalities who work on the more than 8,000 ships flagged under the world’s first maritime fleet, the Ship Registry of the Republic of Panama.
Measures taken by the AMP at an international level, include the extension of license validity for three months for seafarers who work on Panamanian flag ships of international navigation.
As for seafarers’ who exceed eleven months of uninterrupted service period on board, the extension of their employment contracts will be authorized for a term of three months. If an additional extension is required, the Administration will grant a further period of three months on board, subject to authorization. This measure was communicated to shipowners, ship operators as well as seafarers’ placement companies and it is in accordance with the current state of emergency, which does not allow the boarding and disembarking of crew members.
For contract extensions to be authorized, seafarers must have agreed and must sign the extensions of their respective contracts. As the effects of the pandemic have persisted, employment contracts will be extended for an additional period of three months.
At the end of the extension authorized by the Administration, all seafarers will be entitled to their annual paid vacation and to be repatriated, as established by the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended (MLC, 2006). All approved extensions are granted free of charge.
Concerning medical certificates of seafarers, the Administration has allowed extending the validity for three months.
Source:
hongkongmaritimehub
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