In the early hours of 24th February 2022 the Russian Federation invaded the territory of Ukraine.
At the moment, air connection between Ukraine and any other country of the world has been suspended, depriving our seafarers of an opportunity to be repatriated straight to Ukraine and get back to their families in such grave time to render their support and defense.
In given circumstances, below are the MTWTU’s comments towards the crew change crisis that is deploying now:
- Those seafarers whose maximum duration of contracts has expired and who were or are supposed to be repatriated - it is recommended to remain on board for as long as it becomes possible and safe to return. Companies are advised to prolong Seafarers’ Employment Agreements as appropriate.
- For those seafarers willing to return home upon expiry of their employment contracts / terminating their employment, flight tickets to neighboring friendly countries of Ukraine (main airports - Chisinau, Moldova and Warsaw, Poland; Hungary, Slovakia, Romania) shall be purchased by the Company, as well as amounts to cover costs of transportation to Ukrainian land border/checkpoints shall be reimbursed. In this case the Companies are advised to settle the seafarers’ wage balance in cash, upon their request, prior to disembarkation from the vessel.
Wishing for a peaceful sky above for all of us.
Sincerely yours,
MTWTU Chairman Oleg Grygoriuk
