Columbia Shipmanagement and ship-management association Intermanager have both signed up to the new Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change.

The declaration has brought together 314 owners, charterers, lenders and industry organisations to pledge action on the changeover crisis and work towards vaccinations for those working on ships during the pandemic.

But Columbia chief executive and Intermanager president Mark O'Neil told TradeWinds that just signing up and then forgetting about the issue is not enough.