It is becoming increasingly difficult to stay in touch with seafarers and their families in Ukraine, according to German crewing agency Danica Crewing Specialists.
In an update for staff, managing director Henrik Jensen said that as major port areas are overcome, communications are now being affected.
There have so far been no reports of injuries to Danica personnel or their families.
But the company is no longer able to contact everyone in some of the areas now under control by the invading Russian military, in particular those in the south of Ukraine, including the cities of Mariupol and Kherson.
Jensen said the communications infrastructure has been damaged or has been blocked by the Russian army.
“Although this does not mean that the persons who are not contactable are unsafe, it of course creates a lot of anxiety amongst the seafarers on board who are unable to contact their relatives,” he added.
The situation in Odessa, where Danica has an office, and surrounding areas continued to be relatively calm on Tuesday.
The company is continuing its initiative to assist staff who have fled the country.
The first two evacuees arrived on Tuesday in Hamburg with no luggage or possessions of any kind. They are being housed in a hotel.
The crisis is also starting to affect Danica’s Russian crew.
Payroll problems
Banking restrictions mean salaries cannot be transferred through the SWIFT payment system.
Jensen also said Russian banks now have such a low credit rating that the two largest German lenders, Hamburg Commercial Bank and Commerzbank, are not allowed to do business with them.
“As an alternative, we are now offering a solution with a Visa card through ShipMoney to our Russian seafarers under our payroll management,” Jensen explained.
Internet access to be boosted
The boss has been calling for greater internet access on ships to allow Ukrainians to keep in touch with their families.
This was discussed at a meeting of ship-management association InterManager on Tuesday.
Big names like Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement and Columbia Shipmanagement have agreed to boost access for all seafarers of all nationalities.
Concerns were also raised that the current good relations between Russians and Ukrainians on vessels could change as the war drags on.
InterManager president Mark O’Neil said: “We are an international business with an international perspective and we need to remain international at this challenging time.”
