Collective open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on trapped mariners in Ukraine, as reported by BIMCO.
Secretary-General Guterres writes
The co-signatories of this letter are writing to you as the war in Ukraine approaches its one-year anniversary to draw your attention to the 331 sailors who are still imprisoned on ships in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. We request that you use your diplomatic influence and the United Nations to handle this issue immediately and evacuate all remaining ships and seafarers.
We must never forget that our sailors are the backbone of our industry. They have been mired in a predicament beyond their control for the past 12 months. Their lives cannot be put in danger for no other reason than to do their jobs.
We acknowledge and applaud the United Nations and your leadership for the successful negotiation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Ukraine and Russia through Turkey. This has prevented food prices from getting out of control and facilitated the safe delivery of vital grain and fertiliser cargoes from Ukraine to communities that are most in need. Although we are dedicated to helping the Black Sea Grain Project succeed moving forward, this must be done at the expense of the lives of innocent seafarers. This is the time to act.
The transportation of essential grain cargo out of Ukrainian ports would not have been possible without our seamen. Even though there are difficulties, evacuating seamen and their ships must be a top priority. Otherwise, we put our sailors’ lives in danger, which is unacceptable.
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Source: BIMCO
