ITF says Cabo Delgado too dangerous for crew changes
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) calls for halt to all crew changes in northern Mozambique due to terror threat.
The ITF says the security situation in northern Mozambique has deteriorated so much that crew changes in the region should be halted. The federation cites the extreme risk of kidnapping and violence from the ISIS-affiliated terror group Ansar-al-Sunna.
With the ITF’s support, the Norwegian Martime Unions (NMU) are also calling for a suspension of crew changes until the threat is reduced. “The security situation in Cabo Delgado is dire,” said Johnny Hansen, president of the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union, one of the three unions in the NMU.
“Foreign workers are being targeted by terrorists, and seafarers will be no exception. Their lives are in danger. Asking seafarers to come ashore, to stay in Covid quarantine facilities, while the volatile situation happening outside risks their very lives? That is unacceptable…”
Hansen said shipowners should re-route their vessel to avoid Cabo Delgado and instead make use of ports at Biera, Nacala, and Maputo.
