Liberia registry signs crew change declaration

By Michael McGrady, Maritime Direct Americas Correspondent

The Liberian Registry, operated as a public-private shipping registration organization chartered between Liberia and the United States, is the first flag state to adopt the Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change.

“I am very proud to have the Liberian Registry join as [a] signatory to the Neptune Declaration,” says Alfonso Castillero, the chief operating officer of the registry, in a statement. 

“It is an honor for us to sign, and we pledge to continue our efforts in facilitating crew changes aboard our 4,600 vessels around the globe. COVID-19 has created unprecedented challenges, and we have been fighting for the facilitation of crew changes since the early days of the pandemic, working closely with industry bodies such as ICS and ITF, port and coastal States, and with the owners and operators of Liberian flagged vessels,” Castillero said.

Despite being a private corporation, the Liberian Registry joins with shipping liners and NGOs, asking world governments to resolve the ongoing crew change crisis. 

The declaration calls for seafarers and maritime services workers to be recognized as essential and given priority to access COVID-19 vaccination access and general health care access.

Maritime Direct has reported extensively on the ongoing crew change crisis and will continue to do so. 

The Neptune Declaration was officially introduced at the World Economic Forum during the Davos summit late last month.