CREW CHANGE
Kenyan Seafarers Repatriated
T
he Kenya government in collaboration with various ship owners managed to successfully repatriate over 500 of its seafarers stranded on board several seagoing vessels across the world following the outbreak of the Corona Virus pandemic. Mrs Nancy Karigithu, Principal Secretary State Department of Shipping and Maritime Affairs told African Shipping Review in a recent interview that the crew included the 250 Kenyan youth who had been recruited by MSC Cruises following the 2018 agreement between the Italian company and the Kenya government. She admitted the
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AFRICAN SHIPPING REVIEW July/Sept. 2020
exercise was indeed challenging: “Flights were being cancelled, travel restrictions were being imposed, visa requirements were becoming more stringent and last minute changes to itineraries were being imposed on ships' movements,” she said adding that. “There was a general uncertainty all over. We had to work very closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kenyan Embassies in the respective countries to ensure administrative processes were attained in time for the seafarers' travel.” By the time COVID 19 hit home, 400 youth had been recruited to work on-
board MSC cruise ships in the program aimed at sending at least 2,000 to sea yearly for the next five years, under Kenya's ambitious Blue Economy program. Only 250 had however boarded their respective vessels while a further 150 were yet to embark on their contractual engagement by the time maritime nations closed their borders due to the pandemic. Mrs Karigithu said the seafarers were flown from different cities across the globe after terminating their cruises in Miami – the largest passenger port in the world; Port of Genoa which is a major cruise port in Italy and the Port of Marseille in France.
