The PNO leadership has described the situation arising from the ongoing conflict in the region as particularly serious and dangerous for the hundreds of Greek and foreign sailors trapped there. The federation has also called on the Ministry of Shipping to address the situation of maritime students aboard vessels who are unable to return to complete their studies.
The seafarers’ unions PEMEN and STEFENSON are organising a strike rally at 10.30am at the Union of Greek Shipowners, to be followed by a motorised march concluding at noon at the Ministry of Shipping. There, demonstrators will demand a meeting with the Minister of Shipping and seek concrete commitments on the safety and repatriation of seafarers. Their demands include: no ships in war zones; the immediate designation of all areas of active armed conflict as war zones; and the provision of information about merchant vessels and sailors trapped in the Persian Gulf, with families to be kept properly informed.
The seafarers’ union PENEN has announced that it will, in the coming days, put forward a public proposal to organise a 48-hour strike on seagoing vessels in Greek ports, in view of the risk of further escalation. The union’s leadership has stressed that the only solution for the release of crews is for Greek and Greek-owned ships to change course immediately, withdraw from all war zones, and cease all voyages to those waters.
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