2 minute read
In The News - Doing What We Can, As Best We Can
Next Article
Carl Schou Calls on Authorities to Resolve Stranded Crew Crisis
Wilhelmsen Ship Management’s Boss Says to Ask Crews for Another Changeover Deferral is ‘Unacceptable’
Excerpt from Tradewinds (Published on 1 March 2020)
Carl Schou has become the latest top shipmanager boss to call on global governments to resolve the mounting crisis of stranded crews.
The Wilhelmsen Ship Management chief executive said that with the recent crew changeover deferrals, the industry had “bought ourselves a time window — for now”.
“We should not have to ask the crew for another deferral. This is unacceptable,” he said in a post on social media.
“Much has been said by the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation), ICS (International Chamber of Shipping) and IMO. But we are running out of time. The authorities must make travel ban exemptions for seafarers.”
Schou said that with airfreight capacity diminishing, ships were the “last reliable solution”. “Shipping cannot stop due to Covid-19,” he said. “We need a unified approach.”
When he personally emailed the shipmanager’s crews to say it was deferring crew changes, he said he did so with a “heavy heart”.
“I know this is something huge to ask for, especially in these times when families are separated,” he said. “Most of them are like me: a father, a husband and a son.
He added that he was “touched by the replies from the crew”, that they stand in solidarity to keep the global trade going.
“This is not something I take for granted,” he said. “For that, I would again like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the fantastic people who are so committed.”
“ Shipping cannot stop due to Covid-19,” he said. “We need a unified approach.”
– Carl Schou, CEO & President of Wilhelmsen Ship Management
Excerpt from Splash 24/7 (Published on 27 March 2020)
Friday 27 March 2020
Action Plan to Get Crews Repatriated Gains Momentum
Carl Schou, CEO of another Singapore manager, Wilhelmsen Ship Management, has taken to LinkedIn to share his thoughts on the issue of crew changes during the coronavirus.
Having told his crews that they will have to work longer than planned, Schou wrote on social media: “We have bought ourselves a time window – for now. We SHOULD NOT have to ask the crew for another deferral. This is unacceptable. Much has been said by ITF, ICS and IMO. But we are running out of time! The authorities must make travel ban exemptions for seafarers. As airfreight capacity is diminishing – ships are our last reliable solution. Shipping cannot stop due to COVID-19. We need a unified approach.”
