Ship horns sounding at noon to recognise seafarers

Fremantle Ports has advised all ships to sound their horns at noon today (Friday 1 May)  in accordance with the call by the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers Federation to recognise the 1.6 million seafarers across the world keeping global trade going and countries supplied during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guy Platten, secretary general of the ICS said: “Our seafarers are the unsung heroes of global trade and we must not forget the contribution that they are making every day to keep our countries supplied with the goods that we need.

"The sounding of a ships’ horn in ports on the day that the world recognises the contribution of workers in an ideal way to remind us all of their sacrifice. They are all Heroes at Sea.”

Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the ITF said: “The ITF welcomes this initiative and calls on seafarers to sound their ships’ horns in a global expression of solidarity, but importantly to also ensure that the spotlight remains on how critical seafarers are to ensure that essential goods continue to be transported around the world during this crisis."