Accessibility.SkipToMainContent
Members at work

A son's story of a father stranded onboard a vital ship in the global supply chain

23 April 2020

Like many Nautilus International members, containership chief officer Chris Kuiken should have been relieved from his ship with a crew change a long time ago.

But as for thousands of similar Merchant Navy seafarer members during the global coronavirus emergency, this has been virtually impossible due to border restrictions.

Now his young son has drawn global attention to the reality of life for seafarers and their families and the impact of denial of crew changes in a very personal story.

'It's not very nice,' Tibbe Kuiken, aged 11, told the Dutch youth newspaper NOS Jeugdjournaal about his disappointment that his father now must stay longer at sea in order to help transport vital supplies for the rest of the world. 'I can't see him and I can't come to visit him.'

Tibbes's dad is a Nautilus Netherlands branch advisory board member and works on a Maersk Line container ship.

Tibbes said he was disappointed his father will not be able to come home for weeks or maybe even months. He knows his father's container ship 'transports stuff all over the world' and is used to not seeing him for long periods, but this time is different.

'That [travel] goes on and on, but one thing's different now: he's not allowed off the ship, because of measures against the coronavirus.'

Nautilus has been lobbying both nationally and internationally to enable crew repatriations. Executive officer in the Netherlands Sascha Meijer told Schuttevaer NL news that: 'Many seafarers need to be relieved. At least 2,000 Dutch people work on a seagoing ship and cannot go home for the time being. Normally, they are relieved by other crew.'

Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson broadcast an impassioned plea via YouTube for governments to allow seafarer crew changes.

 


Tags

More articles

Featured
Health and safety

Nautilus FAQs on Covid-19 Coronavirus

  • Telegraph
  • 17 March 2021
General secretary message

Seafarers – our keyworker beacons in a global emergency

  • Telegraph
  • 21 April 2020
Health and safety

Collective crew changes at designated ports needed to relieve 100,000 'fatigued' seafarers, says Union

Nautilus is supporting calls for collective crew changes at designated ports, which it says are urgently needed to relieve tired Merchant Navy seafarers enabling world trade during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • News
  • 16 April 2020
International

Ruby Princess crew repatriated as cruise ship heads to Manila

The cruise ship at the heart of a criminal investigation over coronavirus deaths departed Australian waters on 23 April headed for Manila.

  • News
  • 23 April 2020
Campaigning

Masters honk their horns for 'Heroes at Sea'

Ships' masters around the world celebrated May Day in support of 'heroes at sea' highlighting seafarers' vital role in the global supply chain.

  • News
  • 01 May 2020
Equality

Leave no-one behind: Fairness flagged for transport and other key workers

The coronavirus pandemic is a chance 'not to be squandered', to build a fairer transport industry as Europe recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, European unions and progress politicians said.

  • News
  • 22 April 2020
International

ITF calls for G20 taskforce to handle seafarer repatriation and crew changes

A special G20 taskforce is needed to handle seafarer repatriation and crew changes during the coronavirus pandemic, say the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF).

  • News
  • 21 April 2020
Health and safety

Nautilus helps produce topical new guidance on seafarer wellbeing

  • Telegraph
  • 15 April 2020
Nautilus partnerships

Inside view: How Covid-19 is affecting the Mediterranean yacht season

  • Telegraph
  • 15 April 2020

Become a Nautilus member today