Crew change conundrum to continue

Crew changes became challenging this year as the Covid-19 pandemic brought shipping to its knees. Crew management specialist Henrik Jensen, of Danica, looks back on an unprecedented year and considers how the crewing sector will recover

In the normal course of maritime business, crew members transit to and from vessels as needed. The crew change regime is well-established and fairly straightforward. Not so this year – the pandemic changed everything and thrust crew change to the forefront of maritime industry concerns. Without crew our ships will not sail and without ships the world trade in food, medicines and goods will not operate. Hence the fate of the world’s seafarers took centre stage as governments and maritime associations around the globe negotiated solutions.