06
INTERVIEW: KITACK LIM
View from the top: Kitack Lim Adrian Ladbury interviews International Maritime Organisation Secretary-General Kitack Lim about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global shipping industry including safety and risk management and, most importantly, the plight of crews during the crisis. Adrian Ladbury (AL): What has been the main impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the international maritime industry? What would you say are the three big risks that the industry has had to deal with above all? Kitack Lim (KL): By far the biggest challenge at the moment is the crew change issue. Over 200,000 seafarers are still waiting to be repatriated after many months at sea, having stayed beyond their original contracts. Both their physical and mental health are being put to the test. This situation is not sustainable. Safe operation and safe navigation are being compromised. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, it is thanks to the sacrifice of the world’s seafarers that shipping has continued to move. Ships have continued to deliver vital supplies, medical equipment, raw materials and packaged goods. Failing to protect and support seafarers is a huge risk. Besides this issue, I would highlight the need to ensure inspections and surveys can be carried out as soon as possible, to avoid risks of unsafe ships continuing to trade. A third risk is failure to carry our repairs and maintenance. All these are issues that the industry and Member States are working hard to address. AL: What were the main challenges presented by the pandemic as the industry attempted to keep trade flowing and ensure minimal disruption to the global supply chain? KL: The key challenge is ensuring shipping continues to deliver safely, protecting the people involved from infection. This is why IMO has circulated, since the beginning of the pandemic, guidance from the World Health Organization The Marine Insurer P&I Special Edition | July 2020
(WHO) on the measures to be put in place for health protection and for managing any suspected cases. As well as health advice, together with our industry partners and colleagues in the WHO, and other UN agencies, like ICAO, ILO, UNCTAD, WTO, IMO has been developing and issuing practical advice and guidance on a variety of technical and operational matters to facilitate international trade, coordinate responses and facilitate crew changes. AL: Why has it not been possible to work out and agree a system for repatriation of stranded crew members up till now? What have the main barriers been? KL: Of course, we do have to recognise that some countries are in the midst of the pandemic and resources are directed at combating the virus. Their priorities are other areas and, in most cases, national health authorities are in charge, not maritime authorities. Thus, in many cases, the key is con-
