Background: The well-being of the world’s 1.65 million seafarers is expected to be secured by the rights established under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 with active monitoring of its implementation by the flag administrations through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO). However, the substantial gains achieved since entry into force of MLC in August 2013 appear to have been severely dented by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The aim of the study was to examine, on a pilot basis, the disruptions and challenges to the observance of seafarers’ rights to shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance as an immediate consequence of COVID-19. Materials and methods: The impact of COVID-19 on seafarers’ rights was examined in three dimensions — shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance. Questionnaires were administered online from June to August 2020 to 450 seafarers, top 10 ship-management companies, 35 shipping companies and maritime administrations of top 5 seafarer supplying countries. The paper discusses the results of the survey. Results: The research revealed a previously unknown majority preference for shore leave, that diminished sharply during COVID-19. Impact on work-performance and well-being of seafarers was revealed with only a fifth of the seafarers having willingly agreed to an extension of contract. This study revealed incidence rates at 6 months into the pandemic of several parameters — delayed repatriations (21.44%) that includes crew with contract extensions (12.48%), crew with completed contract awaiting repatriation (8.96%) and crew that had exceeded 12-month continuous service (0.82%). Compensation, if provided, is meagre and was affecting ratings the most. Deprivation of medical assistance was also revealed. Conclusions: The well being of seafarers would likely remain vulnerable to breaches, unless measures are put in place to safeguard the rights assured under MLC in the face of uncertainties caused by a pandemic such as COVID-19. Background: The well-being of the world’s 1.65 million seafarers is expected to be secured by the rights established under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 with active monitoring of its implementation by the flag administrations through the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO). However, the substantial gains achieved since entry into force of MLC in August 2013 appear to have been severely dented by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The aim of the study was to examine, on a pilot basis, the disruptions and challenges to the observance of seafarers’ rights to shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance as an immediate consequence of COVID-19. Materials and methods: The impact of COVID-19 on seafarers’ rights was examined in three dimensions — shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance. Questionnaires were administered online from June to August 2020 to 450 seafarers, top 10 ship-management companies, 35 shipping companies and maritime administrations of top 5 seafarer supplying countries. The paper discusses the results of the survey. Results: The research revealed a previously unknown majority preference for shore leave, that diminished sharply during COVID-19. Impact on work-performance and well-being of seafarers was revealed with only a fifth of the seafarers having willingly agreed to an extension of contract. This study revealed incidence rates at 6 months into the pandemic of several parameters — delayed repatriations (21.44%) that includes crew with contract extensions (12.48%), crew with completed contract awaiting repatriation (8.96%) and crew that had exceeded 12-month continuous service (0.82%). Compensation, if provided, is meagre and was affecting ratings the most. Deprivation of medical assistance was also revealed. Conclusions: The well being of seafarers would likely remain vulnerable to breaches, unless measures are put in place to safeguard the rights assured under MLC in the face of uncertainties caused by a pandemic such as COVID-19.

The safety of navigation in approaches to harbours and along coasts has been a concern since the beginning of maritime trade approximately 2000 years ago. The ways and means for facilitating the safety and efficiency of maritime navigation have undergone a remarkable transformation from lighthouses, first established in 300–280 BC in Alexandria, Egypt, combined with the use of flag signals by ships to announce their arrival when approaching a harbour, through the use of radars for electronic monitoring combined with radio communications by ships, to the use of satellite-based automatic identification systems combined with automated digital information exchange between maritime autonomous surface ships and geographically distant shore control centres.This chapter examines vessel traffic management from an interwoven, regulatory, and technological perspective. It attempts to trace the evolution of international and European Union regulatory and organizational frameworks in response to the emerging needs of navigational safety and efficiency. In this context, essential technical jargon as key to an understanding of the topic of vessel traffic management is unpacked. Relevant work of the International Maritime Organization, International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities, European Commission, and European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is discussed. The transformative role of the European Maritime Single Window environment stands out while traversing the contribution of technological advancements in the maritime domain leading to the development of vessel traffic management system architecture and capabilities. Digitalization and automation in maritime infrastructure are explored for their influence and significance of contribution to navigational safety. The ensuing discussion highlights the role of maritime single windows and the EMSA’s SafeSeaNet as key pillars for enhanced situational awareness in European waters together with the cutting-edge approach of sea traffic management. The chapter concludes with a fascinating outlook on the vessel traffic management system of the future in the emerging context of the fourth industrial revolution driven by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and maritime autonomous surface ships.

The literature on maritime risk management is rich and the findings are pertinent to maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea region; however, little is known regarding how much of the available research is actually utilized. This paper aims to evaluate the uptake of maritime risk research by maritime authorities in the Baltic Sea region and to propose recommendations for its improvement. An existing model to evaluate research uptake was adopted. The factors that could improve research uptake were identified and built into a framework of research institutions’ push of research and its pull by the maritime authorities and industry. The level of research uptake and the utilization of push and pull factors were examined using an online survey questionnaire and in addition, policymakers and researchers were engaged in a workshop to identify the best practices and opportunities for research uptake in the Baltic Sea region. The results show that the overall research uptake level is reasonably good, although factors that increase research utilization are not wholly taken up. Policy recommendations are provided to improve research uptake and science communication. The emergent framework of improvement factors and best practices should serve as a guide to policymakers and researchers to optimize the uptake of research, regardless of discipline.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), in its capacity as a specialized agency of the United Nations, is the global regulator to ensure safety, security, environmental standards, efficiency and sustainability of international shipping. The current regulatory framework of IMO, which is developed and maintained on a continuous basis, includes over 50 international instruments and numerous codes, guidelines and circulars that cover every aspect of international shipping ranging from design, construction, equipment, manning and operation to ship recycling. The safety net of the universally adopted IMO regulations currently covers approximately 1.5 million seafarers and more than 60,000 ships. With declining ice cover leading to an increasing spiral of traffic despite the many hazards, safety of shipping in polar waters and, in particular, the Arctic and its fragile environment is a current focus area of IMO and purported to be addressed by the Organization through a set of goal-based regulatory standards. This chapter provides an overview of the IMO framework and process of shipping regulation and maps the transition from prescriptive to goal-based approach. Risk-based approaches to safety are discussed in the context of the Canadian Arctic. The chapter further reviews the IMO instruments relevant to the Arctic, including the Polar Code, and discusses the approaches to implementation at the flag state, coastal state and regional level, lending new insights and future pathways on tiered implementation of the IMO goal-based framework.