Help for stranded seafarers!

 

Several thousand seafarers on board Danish shipping company vessels are now being given a helping hand from the government to come home.

 

Many seafarers have been stranded on board their ships while the COVID-19 pandemic has spread, making it impossible for them to sign off duty and return home.

 

Now the government has reached a solution with help from Danish Shipping, the maritime section of the Danish Metalworkers' Union and the Danish Engineers' Association.

 

The solution is to apply the visa rules in such a way that seafarers who need to do so can obtain a visa to enter or travel through Denmark, so that they can sign on or off duty in Denmark or neighbouring countries.

Source: DanishShipping

Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping, says:

"We have been fighting for a long time to get our seafarers home to their families, so I am very pleased that the government has listened and found a temporary model that allows crew changes. Now it is a matter of relieving as many seafarers as quickly as possible."

 

Upon entry into Denmark, the industry itself must take a number of precautions for seafarers, in order to minimise the risk of the spread of infection.