Employers and seafarer trade unions have agreed on a one-month extension before crews working beyond their stipulated contracts must be repatriated. The deal gives governments until June 15th to find a way to get their seafarers home. To assist governments with putting coordinated procedures in place, the IMO released a 12-step plan that provides a roadmap to freeing seafarers from the COVID-19 lockdown and allowing appropriate exemptions for them to join or leave ships.
