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Crew Change Crisis

Maersk highlights role transhipment hubs play in crew change

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The unexpected role transhipment hubs have played in trying to solve the crew change crisis was highlighted by Maersk during in a Seatrade Maritime News webinar this week.

Lars Ostergaard Nielsen, Head of Americas Liner Operations Cluster, Maersk, explained to the audience how transhipment hubs had provided a platform for the shipping line combine arrangements for crew change across vessels in a single location.

“Transhipment hubs have actually been an opportunity. It’s been a fact that having many vessels coming into one location has actually meant we have had the opportunity to make certain arrangements around transhipment hubs to facilitate crew changes.

“I don’t think we factored that into our planning before, but it’s certainly shown itself as something of value as we have had the ability to make arrangements with authorities, with hotels. with airlines for charter flights. And it’s easier of course if you have to manage a lot of people bringing them to one location versus a distributed global crew change policy,” he explained.

In terms of the situation for crew change at present for Maersk Nielsen commented: “From a company like Maersk it’s been very painful that we’ve had our seafarers at sea for way to long, and while it’s getting better it’s certainly still a challenge.”

The Seatrade Maritime News webinar “The future of transhipment hubs post-pandemic”, sponsored by Colon Container Terminal (CCT) and Saam Towage is available here for replay