Danica’s clients and seafarers will be aware of the invasion in Ukraine, which has come as a shock to the global maritime community.
Danica is in close contact with our office and 50+ staff in Odesa and our pre-prepared contingency plans are now in operation. At present all our staff are safe and working from home where possible. Our offices in Hamburg, Riga and elsewhere are maintaining services to our ship owners and seafarers.
Danica supplies thousands of eastern European crew, including some 1500 Ukrainians 300 Russians. We understand that our crew will be distressed by what is happening and we are providing support to them as well as maintaining contact with their families.
We are pleased to report that we have not had any instances of crew conflict onboard any of our vessels. In fact reports have reached us of seafarers declaring they are all one sea-going community, regardless of their passport nationality, and are onboard to work and to bring cargo, vessels and themselves from A to B. We are grateful for the calm our crew are displaying in these difficult times.
Danica remains in close touch with all our owners and we are providing regular updates regarding operational and welfare matters. Practical measures are in place, such as keeping off-signing crew onboard for longer durations, and many of these procedures are familiar to us all because they were necessary during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The maritime community is rallying together and Danica is pooling resources and sharing information with shipping industry colleagues and fellow InterManager members as well as assisting other crewing agencies. For seafarers in transit or who must leave their ships for practical reasons, such as if the vessel is being scrapped or sold, we have provided safe on-shore accommodation until we are able to safely transfer them to their homes.
We are monitoring the situation regarding international sanctions, particularly in relation to allotments and payments. We anticipate that the next payroll round should be able to go ahead as usual, regardless of seafarer nationality. This is of course an evolving situation and we are monitoring developments and updating our owners and crews of any changes as they happen.
Presently, men aged between 18 and 60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine, which makes it impossible to have crew depart, although we have reports that some crews and their families managed to escape the country. We are ready with a bus service to send joining crews to airports abroad as soon as it is possible and safe. However, for the time being it is not safe to travel across Ukraine due to the ongoing fighting.
Fortunately we are able to offer replacement crews from our other offices, including Riga and Saint Petersburg, as well as through our associated/partner offices in Romania, Turkey, Georgia and the Philippines.
These are difficult, upsetting and fast-moving times. If you have any questions or concerns please contact Henrik Jensen on Tel: +49 40 2109 190 32 / Mobile +49 173 62 11 998 or email: jensen@danica-maritime.com
