500 seafarers remain stuck on vessels in Ukrainian ports

Just under 500 seafarers remain sheltered awaiting evacuation onboard 109 ships at Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, down from 2,000 six weeks ago.

According to new data gathered by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), in conjunction with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), three quarters of the seafarers trapped in Ukrainian ports have now been evacuated from their stranded vessels.

The IMO has adopted a resolution on actions to facilitate the urgent evacuation of seafarers, while U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an escape route from the Mariupol “apocalypse”.