According to the WeChat official account of the Ministry of Transport, on April 12, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Health and Health Commission, the General Administration of Customs, and the National Immigration Administration jointly issued the The “Guiding Opinions” requires that all efforts be made to provide emergency assistance to crew members who are injured or sick on board, and to protect the basic rights and interests of crew members.
The opinion pointed out that when a Chinese ship is abroad, the crew needs to be sent to the shore for emergency rescue, they can ask for help from our embassy or consulate abroad, and our embassy or consulate will coordinate the local government and medical department for rescue. If a ship is diagnosed with COVID-19 or suspected cases, and the coastal or port countries refuse to provide assistance, China will urge the foreign party to implement emergency assistance through diplomatic channels. During the period when the foreign national ship is abroad, if there are injuries or illnesses to the Chinese nationals on board, the seafarer dispatch agency shall promptly report to our embassy or consulate abroad for assistance. If necessary, the Ministry of Transport shall contact the competent authority of the flag state to coordinate the disposal.
The opinion requires that Chinese and foreign seafarers have injuries and diseases in ports within China, regardless of whether they belong to the “category four”, they should be treated, and if necessary, they should be transferred to the medical institution where the port is located for medical treatment to ensure that the seafarers are rescued in a timely manner. After receiving the ship rescue request, the maritime search and rescue center of the jurisdiction shall keep up to date with the information of the crew to be rescued and the health status of the crew on board, and the relevant maritime management agency shall report to the customs, border inspection and local people’s government in accordance with the procedures. If the relevant department confirms the existence of an epidemic situation, it will follow the local people’s government of the port’s local regulations regarding the epidemic prevention and control period for disposal. The outbreak involves foreign seafarers. In addition to properly providing emergency assistance to injured and sick seafarers, local relevant departments should do a good job of reporting to foreign embassies and consulates in China according to relevant conditions.