The Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund has received a US$500,000 boost from the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC).
With the boost, the fund now stands at S$1.68 million.
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) will also lend support to the SG-STAR Fund by extending technical expertise in shipping.
The update was announced on 17 September 2020 in a statement by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), together with ITF, IMEC, ICS and other local maritime associations and unions.
The SG-STAR Fund was established on 28 August 2020 to support countries that adopt best practices for crew change amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The first global tripartite initiative to support such an endeavour, the Singapore-based fund will be used upstream in the seafarers’ home countries.
ITF General Secretary Stephen Cotton said the SG-STAR Fund could potentially support practical solutions to alleviate the crew change crisis for the world’s 1.4 million seafarers.
“For over six months, the crew change crisis has seen hundreds of thousands of seafarers either trapped on ships or unemployed at home, desperate to get to work.
“For the world’s seafarers, they need practical solutions now, not tomorrow, to end this humanitarian crisis and get seafarers to and from ships in a safe manner,” said Mr Cotton.
He also reiterated the need for progress on ways seafarers can show authorities and employers their negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test results from verified medical institutions.
“This is so that quarantine times can be reduced on board and while waiting to join vessels,” he added.
SG-STAR Fund Governance Committee Chairperson Caroline Yang said: “We are heartened to have ITF and IMEC join our initiative and contribute to the fund. The ICS is also supporting this initiative, including their technical expertise in shipping.
“We look forward to having more like-minded international partners come on board this tripartite initiative so that safe crew change can be further accelerated.”
Also read: The Maritime Industry Establishes a $1 million Fund to Accelerate COVID-19 Best Practices
