Damage to Seafarers’ Health and Labor Rights and Interests: Reflections on Seafarer Changes Hindered by COVID-19

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 seriously hindered the normal and orderly shift of international seafarers. The accident of international seafarers’ change reflects the lack of governing of various countries in the protection and management of the human rights of international seafarers, behind which lies legal problems such as the poor operation of the international cooperation system for epidemic prevention and control onboard, and the lack of protection of seafarers’ basic rights and interests. Considering seafarers as the maintainer of global freight& supply chain, the international community and governments of various countries should take the protection of international human rights as the basic principle, actively implement the specific requirements of international cooperation, accelerate the improvement of social assistance system for international seafarers, protect the life and health rights of the seafarers from damage, optimize the system for international seafarers change In the context of normalization of the epidemic, safeguard the labor rights and interests of seafarers such as the right for rest and vacation, pay attention to safe manning of ships and overfatigue of seafarers and effectively improve the capacity for global marine security governance under special circumstances.