IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim shone a spotlight on the rights of seafarers and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recruitment and retention when speaking at the La Rochelle Maritime Symposium on ‘Employment and skills challenges in the European maritime transport and services sector’, held on 09 February, 2022.

“We must not relent in our efforts to facilitate international travel for crew change purposes, including getting vaccinations and boosters as well as access to medical facilities when needed. If we do not assure the rights and well-being of seafarers, we will not be able to retain the existing seafarers in the profession and certainly not be in a position to attract any new additions to the industry,” he told listeners.

His speech also touched upon the annual International Day for Women in Maritime, as well as this year’s IMO World Maritime Theme of “New technologies for greener shipping”.

Read the whole speech on the IMO website: La Rochelle Maritime Symposium – Employment and skills challenges in the European maritime transport and services sector (imo.org)