• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Webinar Library
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » World’s Biggest Brands Adopt Checklist to Rescue Stuck Seafarers

World’s Biggest Brands Adopt Checklist to Rescue Stuck Seafarers

China port
Container ships are moored near the Port of Nansha in Guangzhou, China. Photo: Bloomberg.
May 6, 2021
Bloomberg

Unilever Plc and other big retail brands are among consumer giants adopting a toolkit to audit their shipping supply chains in an effort to help bring seafarers stuck on commercial vessels back home and eliminate human rights risks.

The voluntary initiative, which launches later this week, calls on companies that put cargo on shipping containers to address problems stemming from government-imposed restrictions on crew changes. It’s estimated more than 200,000 crew around the world are still stuck on vessels beyond the expiration of their contracts and well past globally accepted safety standards.

The program — part of a project by the UN Global Compact — is also expected to be endorsed by the powerful Consumer Goods Forum, a body that counts hundreds of the world’s biggest consumer companies as members, including Coca-Cola Co., Marks & Spencer Group Plc and Nestle SA.

“Throughout the pandemic, the world’s seafarers have been set adrift, stranded by COVID-19 restrictions with hundreds of thousands forced to work against their will,” said Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the union that represents seafarers. “Responsible players in the supply chain have acted, but many companies, whose goods haven’t stopped moving, have either been caught unaware or have chosen to ignore this humanitarian crisis. With the launch of this tool, companies now have no excuse.”

Practical Steps

Any company that puts any sort of cargo on ships will be encouraged to use the checklist, which includes asking ship owners and those who charter space on vessels to ensure clauses that prevent crew changes aren’t being added to contracts.

Earlier, Bloomberg reporting found that some big commodities firms are avoiding hiring certain vessels or imposing conditions that block crew changes to relieve exhausted seafarers. Brands are also being encouraged to work with the union and shipping chamber to request a detailed audit of their supply chain — down to the ships that are being used to ferry their cargo as part of the human rights due diligence initiative.

Unilever, which like Bloomberg was able to review the program’s details before its launch, plans to adopt the toolkit, according to Chief Supply Chain Officer Marc Engel. The company last year spearheaded a letter urging world leaders to help stuck seafarers. This latest initiative spells out practical, concrete steps that all businesses can take to make sure their sea logistics address human rights flags, Engel said.

More on Seafarers Crisis During the Pandemic:
Commodity Giants, Shippers Can’t Agree on Seafarer Rescue

Rogue Captain’s Mid-Ocean Detour Tips Investors to Crisis at Sea

What Happens When Tycoons Abandon Their Giant Cargo Ships

Fidelity Calls for Urgent Action to Help 400,000 Stranded Seafarers

Engel said the tool kit should prompt some frank discussions with suppliers as well as encourage dialog around costs within the shipping industry, which is fragmented and often employs a network of ship owners, charterers and brokers.

Since the pandemic, some countries and their governments have either stopped or limited access for ships to conduct seafarer changes in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid. A Bloomberg investigation published in September found numerous violations of international maritime law designed to protect seafarers, including allegations of unpaid overtime and insufficient medical attention. There’s fear governments may again tighten restrictions as countries try to contain mutant virus strains.

The International Chamber of Shipping, the industry association that represents ship owners, is on board with the new initiative, said Secretary General Guy Platten. “The crew change crisis is far from over,” he said. The initiative also calls on companies to put pressure on governments to support the industry, which Platten says will help.

Some of those brands that have made the effort to dig into their supply chains have been surprised.

Fashion retailer TFG London conducted an investigation of its supply chain in 2020. It asked its shipping partners for a detailed map of the logistics network at sea and sought help from the seafarers’ union to undertake welfare checks on some of the ships carrying its cargo. The company found that five vessels didn’t have agreements with the union.

“We felt powerless to act as we didn’t have meaningful tools or leverage to respond to this crisis,” said Francesca Mangano, TFG London’s corporate social responsibility and sustainability executive. “This tool is set to drive change.”

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Logistics Global Logistics Ocean Transportation Global Supply Chain Management Global Trade & Economics HR & Labor Management Regulation & Compliance Supply Chain Security & Risk Mgmt Consumer Packaged Goods Retail
  • Related Articles

    Fight Between Commodities Giants and Shippers Leaves Seafarers Stuck

    World's Biggest Wealth Fund Turns Attention to Fashion Houses

    Delivery: The Last Face-to-Face Touch Point for Brands in a Digital World?

Bloomberg

BioNTech Expands German Plant as Scholz Vows to Help Pharma

More from this author

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter!

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • DOCUMENTS BEARING THE INSIGNIA OF US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION LIE ON A TABLE

    New CBP Regs Call for Greater Diligence by Brokers in Reporting Security Breaches

    Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
  • A WORKER IN A WAREHOUSE, SUPERIMPOSED WITH GRAPHICS SHOWING SUPPLY NETWORK

    Enabling Intelligent Visibility With Supply Chain Analytics

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • A HAND TURNS A LARGE, LIGHTED DIAL WITH THE WORD RISK ON IT iStock-NicoElNino-1364371014.jpg

    Measuring KPIs and KRIs for Comprehensive Supplier Performance Management

    Technology
  • GSCMS-Promo.png

    Watch: Introducing the Global Supply Chain Marketing Summit

    Education & Professional Development
  • A COMPLEX SERIES OF ROADWAYS AND RAMPS, SEEN FROM HIGH ABOVE, IS PARTLY SHROUDED BY CLOUD

    Supply Chain Visibility Isn’t Just a Catchphrase; It’s an Imperative

    Logistics

Digital Edition

Scb nov 2022 sm

2022 Supply Chain Innovator of the Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Honeywell Intelligrated IFM
Infor Inmar Keelvar
Kinaxis Korber Lean Solutions Group 2H
Liberty SBF Locus Robotics Logility
LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems MCA Connect
MPO Nvidia Old Dominion
OpenText ORTEC Overhaul
Parsyl PMMI QIMA
Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash Saddle Creek Logistics
Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG Ship4WD
Shipwell Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing