Panama emphasises its support for seafarers' rights

Following up on recently adopted measures from the Panama Maritime Authority, allowing seafarers to work for up to 17 consecutive months on board Panama flagged ships, the AMP has released a new follow-up letter emphasising its support for seafarers’ right during the pandemic.

Panama, one of the largest flag states in the world with more than 8.000 ships flying its flag, has implemented the principles explained in IMO circ. 4204/add. 14 and designated seafarers as key workers. Another circular, the MN 03/2020, allows seafarers to continue a daily routine despite being faced with closed borders and travel restrictions in other parts of the world. To prevent a continued deadlock and start repatriation of seafarers, the administration in Panama is inviting all companies to utilise Panama as a crew change hub.

BIMCO is monitoring restrictions to crew mobility and provide a variety of information on the topic to the shipping industry such as:

Details about implementation measures
Overview of challenges to crew mobility
Overview of extensions and exceptions to seafarers’ certificates

BIMCO encourages stakeholders in the industry to take full advantage of the information offered and encourages relevant stakeholders to share new information with BIMCO.