International Chamber of Shipping: Shipping community calls on UN to urgently evacuate seafarers trapped in Ukrainian ports
23.2.2023 21:36:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
The world’s leading maritime organisations and companies have released an open letter calling on United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to urgently prioritise the evacuation of 331 seafarers and 62 ships that remain trapped in Ukrainian ports.
The 34 signatories, including the International Chamber of Shipping, NKY Line, the Union of Greek Shipowners, Danish Shipping, and seafarer charities, called the situation an ‘unacceptable risk to life.’
In February 2022, 112 vessels crewed by more than 2,000 seafarers were berthed in Ukranian ports across the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Since then, 1,700 have been safely evacuated and have been able to return to their families or return to their work of keeping global trade flowing.
The remaining 331 seafarers from countries such as Bangladesh, Philippines, Turkey, Syria, China, Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Indonesia, Ghana, India, Azerbaijan and Georgia, remain to maintain the safety and protect against environmental harm. No other industry have non-combatants in the area over a year on from the start of the conflict, as they can only leave when the ships leave.
Some of the ports where these seafarers remain have resumed operability, facilitating the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Shipping has been integral in carrying out this UN-brokered humanitarian effort, with crews sailing along the borders of the conflict zone to ensure the world continues to receive vital grain deliveries. However, ships who are not able to transport grain are excluded and remain trapped.
Since the onset of the war, shipping companies, charities, and unions have continually called for the safe and immediate evacuation of the trapped seafarers. They have also worked in coordination with international organisations to facilitate the evacuation effort, supported the trapped seafarers’ families, and provided the seafarers with provisions including food, clean water, and medical supplies.
To mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, the shipping community sent this open letter to UNSG Guterres, calling on him to use his diplomatic abilities to evacuate the remaining seafarers ships.
- ENDS -
Notes to editors:
About ICS
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world merchant fleet.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230223005829/en/
Contact information
Katerina Dimitropoulos, Communications Manager, ICS
katerina.dimitropoulos@ics-shipping.org / +44 7494 363434
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
EZO Reaches Financial Close on €150 Million Senior Debt Facility14.10.2026 14:21:00 EEST | Press release
EZO has reached financial close on a €150 million investment-grade, non-recourse, senior debt facility. The funding will finance the design, installation, operation and maintenance of over 3,000 charge points, representing over 100,000 kWs of capacity, across the UK and Ireland under mostly long-term public sector “PPP-like” concessions with an attractive risk allocation between the public and private sector that will significantly advance EV infrastructure delivery, on time and to budget. These charge points are estimated to generate well in excess of £1 billion in electricity sales over the next 20 years, a portion of which will be shared with the public sector while, at the end of the concession, the chargers will revert back to the public sector. Headquartered in Ireland, EZO has expanded rapidly into the mainland UK, which by 2027 will become its primary EV charging market. The company is building the capital base, technology and operational capability required to deliver reliable
Compass Pathways Joins Forces with Leading Mental Health Organizations to Mark First-Ever U.S. Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) Awareness Day14.10.2026 13:30:00 EEST | Press release
Compass Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS), a biotechnology company dedicated to unlocking urgently needed new treatment options in mental health care, today announced the first-ever TRD Awareness Day in the U.S., a day dedicated to recognizing and advocating for individuals, caregivers and communities impacted by TRD. The campaign is being amplified by leading mental health organizations, including National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA) and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). TRD is a form of depression distinct from major depressive disorder (MDD) that is estimated to affect approximately 4 million people in the U.S., of whom fewer than 5% are currently on a TRD-indicated treatment.1,2,3 For many, the journey to recognizing TRD can involve years of cycling through antidepressant treatments that aren't providing meaningful relief, with an impact extending across work, school, relationships and daily life. TRD Awareness Day was established to i
Reliance Foundation and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation Launch Multi-Year Partnership That Aims to Empower One Million Girls and Young Women in India14.10.2026 13:10:00 EEST | Press release
Reliance Foundation and The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Estée Lauder Companies, have announced the launch of a multi-year partnership that aims to empower one million girls and young women across India. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261014635257/en/ Mr. Stéphane de La Faverie, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies, and President, The Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation, and Ms. Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Foundation. The program is designed for girls and young women from 14 to 20 years of age, across both rural and urban communities, with a focus on building life skills and confidence. It will begin in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, with plans to expand to other parts of the country in the future. The initiative will help girls and young women strengthen their digital and financial literacy, and info
High-Capacity DDoS Attacks Surge 1,286% in 1H 2026 According to NETSCOUT Threat Intelligence Research14.10.2026 13:05:00 EEST | Press release
NETSCOUT® SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) released its first half 2026 Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Threat Intelligence Report, revealing a significant shift in how attacks are launched and sourced. With more than 9.1 million DDoS attacks recorded globally by NETSCOUT between January and June 2026, the report highlights that DDoS risk is growing along three axes: the volume of traffic that must be inspected, the number of places where mitigation must be deployed, and the share of attacks that disrupt service without ever saturating a link. “The 1,286% rise in attacks clearing 1Tbps or 1Gpps means high-capacity events are no longer anomalies; they are routine,” stated Hardik Modi, VP Engineering, DDoS Solutions, and ASERT Threat Intelligence Team, NETSCOUT. “With the proliferation of residential proxies and short, rate-based attacks from DDoS-for-hire platforms, traditional coarse network controls are insufficient. Providers and enterprises alike need finer-grained, selective mitig
Reply Introduces Symbiosis: an AI-Driven Operating Model to Align Business Priorities and AI-Accelerated Delivery14.10.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Reply [EXM, STAR: REY] introduces Symbiosis, an AI-driven operating model designed for enterprises integrating generative AI and agentic systems into their operating processes. Supported by a dedicated platform, Symbiosis connects strategy, portfolio management and execution, helping organisations align priorities and investment decisions with measurable business outcomes. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261014833053/en/ Reply introduces Symbiosis, an AI-driven operating model designed for enterprises integrating generative AI and agentic systems into their operating processes. Supported by a dedicated platform, Symbiosis connects strategy, portfolio management and execution, helping organisations align priorities and investment decisions with measurable business outcomes. As AI enables teams to develop, test and deliver solutions faster, organisations also need to adapt how they decide where to focus that cap
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom