The International Maritime Organization has spoken to the Chinese government over the bulker crew crisis taking place near its shores.
In response to Panama's request for its help in dealing with the more than 1,500 seafarers stuck on ships laden with Australian coal, the UN regulator expressed its concerns with the ongoing problem.
"IMO is aware of the situation and is quite concerned with the length of time some of these seafarers have been on board these vessels," the UN body said. "We are also concerned about lack of access to medical for those on board."
The IMO statement came after Panama requested on Monday that IMO secretary general Kitack Lim "mediate and assist" on behalf of seafarers and shipowners in resolving the crisis, which started last year when China refused to import Australian coal.
The ban, first informal then made official, came amid tensions between Canberra and Beijing over Australia blocking Huawei from its domestic 5G cellular network and calls from Australian politicians for an investigation into the Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan in late 2019.
The ban first made headlines in the autumn, but some ships have been at anchor offshore China for 200 days or more.
In a statement, Panama said it had reached out to both China and Australia in its capacity as one of the world's major flag states, but to no avail.
The country said 74 ships were caught up in the dispute.
Seafarers aboard the ships have complained their human rights are being violated and the ships have been likened to "floating prisons".
