Xinhua News Agency: Without them, half of the people in the world would go hungry, and the other half would be cold

Recently, a freight forwarding company rented a 15-year-old 5060TEU container ship "S Santiago" at a sky-high price of more than US$100,000 per day. The lease period is between 45-90 days. The value of the entire ship of the "S Santiago" is 38.48 million U.S. dollars.

The available capacity is extremely scarce, the daily rent of container ships has soared, the peak season has arrived early, and the epidemic has caused port congestion. The superposition of various factors has led to an extremely unbalanced relationship between supply and demand. The container shipping market is likely to usher in a surge.

In fact, since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the international shipping market has made money from whoever owns containers and whoever owns ships. Today, whoever has seafarers can make money. The importance of this group of seafarers has become increasingly prominent.

//1, seafarers support the normal operation of the world//

As the first resource for shipping development, seafarers fight the wind and waves on the vast blue ocean, and build a bridge of communication for the economic development, cultural exchanges and human production and life of various countries and regions. The International Maritime Organization describes the profession of seafarers as follows: "Without the contribution of seafarers, half of the world's people will go hungry, and the other half will be frozen." This is the most true portrayal of their professional contribution.

Xinhua News Agency: Without them, half of the people in the world would go hungry, and the other half would be cold
The freighter "Longci" stranded on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
"On March 23, 2021, a group of Indians drove a boat rented from Japan in Taiwan Province of China, filled with goods made in China, and a ship with the Panamanian flag. On the route to Europe, it blocked Egyptian traffic. The canal happened to block the American aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean..."

Behind this paragraph, the role of shipping as a link to globalization is clear. As the core of shipping, seafarers have attracted great attention.

According to surveys, the economic value created by shipping talents is higher than that of ordinary jobs in society. From ancient times to the present, the ocean has been a natural link for economic, trade and cultural exchanges between countries, and maritime trade has played a pivotal role in the global economy and trade.

More than 90% of international trade is completed by sea. Anti-epidemic materials, coal, crude oil, iron ore, containers and other goods related to the national economy and people's livelihood need to be transported by ships, and seafarers are the key to achieving international cargo transportation.

Statistics show that in the 19th century, the cargo capacity of sailing merchant ships was only a few thousand tons, and the number of seafarers was more than 200; today, the cargo capacity of the "Changci" is more than 200,000 tons, and the cargo value on board is about 3.5 billion US dollars. More than 20 people. The number of seafarers has been declining, and the advantages of merchant shipping units have continued to increase. This also means that seafarers’ safety responsibilities have continued to increase.

Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, as a high-risk work type that is very close to the virus, more than 1.6 million seafarers around the world have been working day and night at sea under the enormous pressure of the working environment caused by uncertain factors such as entry and exit, material supply, seafarer shifts, and repatriation. , To shoulder the burden of ensuring the continuous supply of resources and daily necessities needed for global production during the epidemic, as well as the smooth transportation of anti-epidemic materials.

It is the dedication and dedication of seafarers that ensured the continued stability of global basic production and life during the epidemic, ensured the normal operation of the global supply chain, and supported the normal operation of the world.

We are about to usher in the 11th World Seamen’s Day (June 25 every year). Governments, shipping organizations, shipping companies, etc. will organize meaningful celebrations on this day to pay tribute to seafarers and thank them for their contributions to mankind and the world. Contribution. The theme of this year's World Seafarers' Day is "Creating a fair future for seafarers".

Why did you set this theme?

Because everyone praised the great dedication and dedication of seafarers during the epidemic, but it still did not help seafarers out of their predicament.

//2 Actually they are in a difficult situation//

 According to Xinhua News Agency, on May 30, the Egyptian Suez Canal Authority announced the results of the investigation into the grounding accident of the "Changci" freighter in March this year, and determined that the captain of the freighter was responsible for the grounding accident. At present, the Suez Canal Authority has reduced the compensation required for the Long Grant from the initial US$916 million to 550 million US dollars, and has proposed that an advance payment of 200 million US dollars is required for the court to release the Long Grant.

Xinhua News Agency: Without them, half of the people in the world would go hungry, and the other half would be cold
A cargo ship sailing on the Suez Canal in Egypt on May 30, 2021. Figure｜Xinhua News Agency
The "Changci" is loaded with more than 18,300 containers with a value of approximately US$3.5 billion. As the sky-high claim involves the interests of many cargo owners, shipowners, insurance companies, P&I Clubs, and the Suez Canal Authority, it is difficult to reach an agreement in a short time. , The seafarers on the "Longci" will have to continue tormenting at the anchorage of the Great Bitter Lake.

What happened to the seafarers of the "Long Ci" is just a mirror. According to data from the Baltic Chamber of Shipping (BIMCO), in 2020, 135 seafarers were abducted. The epidemic and related blockade and isolation prevention and control measures triggered a seafarer shift and repatriation crisis. As of September 2020, an estimated 400,000 seafarers were stranded due to the epidemic. on the sea.

For thousands of years, the global spread of the epidemic has come from human interaction. In the era of great geographic discovery, viruses in the European and American continents were carried by seamen to exchange each other, which profoundly changed the political and economic development of mankind. In the 14th century, mankind realized the importance of isolating outsiders. Beginning in 1348, shortly after the plague arrived in cities such as Venice and Milan, Italian officials took emergency public health measures, which provided the best practice for today's social isolation and surface disinfection.

The first human quarantine method was born in the Adriatic port city of Ragusa, which is now Dubrovnik. This is the first legislation in the world that requires mandatory isolation of all incoming ships and trade caravans to screen for infection.

Following the old rules, seafarer isolation has been a necessary option for seafarers to change shifts since the outbreak, and the huge costs incurred, including isolation costs, testing costs, and high-priced repatriation costs, have overwhelmed shipowners.

The global call for priority inoculation of the new crown vaccine for seafarers is increasing, and countries have also begun to take action. Facing the continuing deterioration of the dilemma of seafarers’ shifts, related companies in the shipping industry signed a “The Neptune Declaration” on the well-being and shifts of seafarers at the World Economic Forum to be held on January 25, 2021. on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change).

The declaration is to solve the problem of seafarers' shifts from the perspective of establishing a more flexible supply chain. The root guarantee is to recognize seafarers as "key staff" and give seafarers a priority in vaccinating the new crown vaccine. The International Maritime Organization has publicly supported the declaration on many occasions. As of February 3, 2021, 53 countries/regions have recognized seafarers as "key workers".

For seafarers, vaccination is undoubtedly a shot in the arm. Seafarers’ friends not only have an extra defense in the physiology, but also have a positive impact on their mentality at work. This guarantee can greatly reduce the risk of seafarers carrying the virus, thereby greatly reducing imported risks, and has a huge positive effect on smoothing the international supply chain.

For shipowners, priority vaccination for seafarers is also very beneficial, which can greatly promote the recovery of the maritime industry. Seafarers are given priority to vaccinate, and based on this, mutual trust and travel exemption for vaccinated seafarers can be established, which can greatly reduce the replacement cost of seafarers.