The Republic of Panama, through the Maritime Authority of Panama (AMP), supports all seafarers regardless of their nationality by making equipment adjustments on ships of all kinds, belonging to the Panamanian register as well as registered in other flags in our territorial waters, in collaboration with the Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
This action takes place in popularity of the paintings of sailors as painters, being a basic link in the chain of global origin, in addition to complying with the conventions ratified through the Republic of Panama.
The exceptional cases experienced lately on the global as a result of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) have prompted us to respond through joint tables with government establishments so that from March 19, 2020 to date, September 1, 2020, let’s have Reach a touchdown of five thousand 890 and the shipment of 1,514 sailors of Array nationalities adding Panamanians , other types of ships arriving in our waters and ports under jurisdiction, which has been a valuable and rewarding experience.
To achieve this goal and minimize risks, Panama has its own manual entitled “Scheme of Repatriation, Landing and Crew Boarding Arrangements” which is sent in the form of emailing to shipping companies, transport agencies, team members and diplomatic missions. . and others involved, after being published on the AMP site on the link: https://amp. gob. pa/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/21072020-Instructivo-de-Repatriación-Espa?% B1ol -2. pdf
This document is based on the rules published in the Circular Charter of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) No. 4204 / Add. 14 for the “Recommended Protocol Framework to Ensure the Safety of Crew Changes and Travel During the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19), “which aims to allow passengers and equipment to return to the house safely as well as board.
This document describes in detail, through seven other (7) modalities, how to carry out repatriation and changes of equipment, the maximum vital for Panamanian navigators being mode 7 because it is the one that makes them pass home.
The terms and conditions, according to Merchant Marine Notice (MMN-16/2020) https://panamashipregistry. com/marine-notices/repatration-modality-due-covid-19/ are:
1- Coordination of charter flights for the combined team of shipping companies: This is the organization, depending on the desire to replace the ship equipment near the arrival in the jurisdictional waters of the Republic of Panama, through the shipping corporations that have been operating lately. in the country.
2- Transfer of equipment from one shipment to another: It consists of authorizing the arrival of shipments either for anchoring or to dock to repatriate the Panamanian team that was organized in the past.
3- Ships with equipment of Panamanian origin (repatriation): It consists in authorizing the arrival of vessels either for anchoring or docking in order to repatriate the Panamanian team that was organized in the past, these requests shall be accompanied by data relating to the suitability of the equipment, the era of insulation with points outside the vessel and the internal fitness and isolation protocols of the vessel , in addition to the list of team members and medical certificate. Board isolation times would possibly be housed in hotels approved through the Ministry of Health on behalf of the transport company for a period of 14 days or legal for home quarantine at any time, recommendations P12. land from the Port to your destination through legal personal shipping through the MINSA.
4- Movement of boat-to-boat crew via bus (land route): Where there are ships on any of the coasts, ships whose equipment wishes to move from one to another, the exchange of equipment from the Atlantic to the Pacific or vice versa, personnel sending land and in the legal past through the Ministry of Health to organize teams of similar nationalities and adopt trips to final destinations with the aim of repatriating the transferred persons will be organized.
5- Panamanian team replacement with Panamanian: It is composed of members of the landing team of Panamanian nationality or members of the boarding team of Panamanian nationality or Array
6- Change of foreign equipment to Panamanian: It consists of landing of the foreign nationality team for extra repatriation in coordination with the embassy of the corresponding nationality as well as with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the boarding of the members of the team of Panamanian nationality or residence.
7- Boarding and disembarkation of the Panamanian team abroad: When a member of the Panamanian team is hired through a shipping company and boarding or disembarkation is made in open-air ports in the Republic of Panama.
In addition to equipment changes, applications were earned for vessels requiring medical care for sea people, allowing their teams to disembark for dental-like medical care, prenatal checkups, among others.
This commendable painting is carried out throughout the Republic of Panama despite restrictions on airports and conditioning fences around the world that make it difficult to replace crews, efforts that were taken as an example and were praised worldwide through the Secretary-General of IMO, the Panama-based Diplomatic Corps, non-governmental organizations and shipping corporations around the world.
Reports obtained through the Republic of Panama have been submitted in national and foreign for a and in front of organizations, adding IMO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Federation of Transport Workers. ( ITF), the International Navigation Chamber (ICS), the Panama International Maritime University (UMIP) Array the International PBIP Network Mexico, among others.
Recently, through Note DGGM-224-2020 of 13 July 2020, Addressed to the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Kitack Lim, a proposal for data format was submitted to States to COVID-19 and equipment replacements, so that countries would provide the data in an orderly manner, as indicated in the format sent via PanamaArray to facilitate and enhance the provision of equipment replacement worldwide.
We paint hard and tirelessly by our 318,000 sailors aboard the more than 8,000 shipments belonging to our flag, implementing movements that have been fully verified at the national and foreign levels, including the Declaration of the Republic of Panama for the benefit of the recommended Frame Painting Protocols issued through the IMO to ensure the protection of shipping equipment settings due to COVID-19 through the Circular No. 4204 / add14 (7 May 2020), assisting the resolution of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to designate sea people as key painters. Workers “in force on May 17, 2020 and the adoption of the Notice of merchant navy No. 003-2020, which follows sea-sea measures to implement the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Republic of Panama jealously guarantees that the rights enshrined in foreign labour agreements, on board Panamanian-flagged vessels, are respected, even in times of pandemic in which we have worked tirelessly to ensure that all sailors on board our ships retain their jobs, contracts and wage pay. Arrange the right to repatriation, the right to leave, pay, the right to medical care and other guaranteed benefits.
Proof of our commitment to the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006, as amended, and national regulations, is that, as a result of the judicial cases of labour that were dealt with in connection with non-payment of wages to seamen, it is recovered from July 2019. as of August 2020, the sum of approximately US$844,968. 41, in terms of wages owed. With regard to judicial cases concerning marine paintings, it is reported that the Panamanian Maritime Administration sends annual reports on the prestige of its judicial cases to the IMO, which are similar to the cases reported in the ILO/IMO-administered database.
In addition, the figure has been more than approximately $233230 as a result of the extensions granted at the low rate through the AMP, in seafarers circulating in Panamanian-enroled vessels, implemented as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which are damaged as follows:
In the case of applications for an extension of the sea people’s employment contract, they were sent through the shipowners to the address via email, which were earned in the Department of Maritime Labor Affairs of the Directorate of Sea people (DGGM), as well as in their regional documentation offices, where all needs set out in the Merchant Navy Notice (MMN-03/2020) https://panamashipregistry. com/marine-notices/coronavirus-and-seafarers-employment-agreement-and-certificates-2/ which was updated in early September 2020.
The latter update incorporates data indicating that extensions of seafarers’ employment contracts operating on signed Panamanian vessels will be published until 14 September 2020, from that date, the provisions of the 2006 Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) will apply. they have to be respected.
It is vitally important to imply that all documentation based on a sea people repatriation plan and a threat assessment, ready through the ship owner and subject to administration approval, and then issued authorization for the extension of the SEA agreement.
Repatriation plans and threat assessment have been very well verified through the MMBD technician to ensure that sea people on Panamanian-flag vessels can disembark and be repatriated as soon as possible.