Euronav chief executive Hugo De Stoop has said shipping must take a long, hard look at itself following the crew changeover crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Belgian tanker boss told Global Maritime Forum's Virtual High-Level Meeting that the industry's lack of transparency meant politicians were unwilling to listen to its concerns when the crunch came.

Euronav management had thought the solution to changeovers during lockdowns would be relatively simple — if crew members were granted key worker status, they could travel freely.