The inclusion of Croatia on the list of countries that have designated seafarers as key workers alleviates acute problems currently faced by seafarers around the globe, in particular with regard to difficulty in organising crew shifts and seafarers' repatriation, the ministry said in a statement.
Many countries have responded to the global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic by restricting travel, thus causing considerable problems for the operation of the global shipping industry. On the other hand, having designated seafarers as key workers the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure is providing direct support to seafarers at a time when the entire shipping industry is struggling with the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 crisis, the statement said.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Croatia has paid special attention to protecting Croatian seafarers in the world, adopting a series of emergency measures for seafarers while taking into account all the recommendations from the International Maritime Organization. Serious progress was made with the adoption of a UN resolution in December 2020 calling on countries to designate seafarers as key workers, which Croatia has welcomed and fully supported, the statement said.