IMO hits out at charterers’ “no crew change” clauses

International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Secretary-General Kitack Lim has denounced “no crew change” clauses in charterparties, claiming that such clauses exacerbate the dire situation of stranded seafarers and undermine efforts to resolve the ongoing crew change crisis.

So-called “no crew change” clauses, which are demanded by certain charterers, state that no crew changes can occur whilst the charterer’s cargo is onboard.

This means that the ship is not allowed to deviate to ports where crew changes can take place, representing a development that the IMO’s Seafarer Crisis Action Team (SCAT) has become aware of in recent weeks.