The Ukrainian Maritime Workers’ Union called for the protection of Ukrainian seafarers from working in the Red Sea.
4.08.2025 - 11:45
The Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine has appealed to shipowners and managers with recommendations on the right of Ukrainian seafarers to refuse to work in war zones.
The Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine reported this on social networks.
The Marine Transport Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine has sent an official appeal to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) with a call to protect Ukrainian seafarers from unjustified risks in war zones and high-risk areas.
“The initiative of the Trade Union was a response to the tragic incidents in the Red Sea, in particular the recent Houthi attacks on the m/v Magic Seas and m/v Eternity C vessels in July of this year. The crew of the m/v Magic Seas was rescued, while nine crew members of the Eternity C vessel are still in captivity and only eight managed to return home,” the union noted.
The MTWTUU called on all employers and their associations to adhere to key principles and avoid transit through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In particular:
• respect the right of Ukrainian seafarers to refuse to work in war zones or high-risk areas in accordance with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006);
• carefully analyze ship routes when manning crews so that seafarers are not assigned to ships that are to transit through routes where there are active or increasing military or piracy threats;
• do not apply pressure/threats to seafarers who refuse dangerous voyages for safety reasons;
• ensure transparent communication, risk awareness and adequate compensation in cases of unavoidable transit through such areas.
“We draw the attention of seafarers working under ITF collective agreements to carefully study the content of collective agreements and individual contracts, and remember that they have the right to refuse entry into risky areas,” the union summarized. Earlier, USM reported that Ukrainian seafarers were owed wages of more than 100 thousand euros.
