‘Yachties for Ukraine’: how to support crew affected by the Ukrainian crisis

Members of the yacht community have joined forces to offer assistance and shelter to crew affected by the war in Ukraine.

Yachties for Ukraine has attracted almost 700 members since it launched as a Facebook page last month, with the aim of gathering information, funds and donations to help Ukrainian crew members affected by the crisis.

The page has recently set up a new website, Yachties United, which connects offers of social support, shelter and donations with crew members in need. The group says it is currently creating an NGO in the same name so that monetary donations can be issued with receipts.

According to the group’s co-founder Petra Untea, a former yacht professional from Romania, there are over 600 Ukrainian yacht crew with families in Ukraine.

“We have Ukrainian crew members whose loved ones are trying to leave the country. We have crew members who are not allowed to leave the country and they have to say goodbye to their wives, kids… we have Ukrainian stewardesses that are working on yachts while their kids are hiding back home. It is heartbreaking,” says Untea.

“Being Romanian, I am active on all the volunteer groups in Romania who are offering shelter, food and clothes to the refugees. We have three borders with Ukraine. [We want to] get the word out there and let’s bring their families to safety. You can pass the [Romanian] border with any documentation: passport, ID or birth certificate. If you know anyone that needs this information please reach out.”

Readers who are interested in making a donation or offering support can find all relevant information on the Yachties United website. PayPal donations can also be made by scanning the QR code to the left.

There are growing concerns that seafarers will be left in precarious positions due to the Ukrainian conflict.

Last week, the crew of the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov’s superyacht, Dilbar, were dismissed after the imposing of western sanctions made the payment of wages difficult.

Earlier this month, Marine Industry News reported that the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the shipping industry’s principal international trade association, has urged shipowners to ensure seafarers do not become ‘collateral damage’ of Russian sanctions following the Ukraine invasion. The ICS, which represents 80 per cent of the world’s merchant fleet, has also warned of supply chain disruption should the free movement of Ukrainian and Russian seafarers be impeded.

The Seafarer Workforce Report, published in 2021 by the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and ICS, reports that 1.89 million seafarers are currently operating over 74,000 vessels in the global merchant fleet.

Of this total workforce, 198,123 (10.5 per cent) seafarers are Russian, of which 71,652 are officers and 126,471 are ratings. Ukraine accounts for 76,442 (4 per cent) of seafarers, of which 47,058 are officers and 29,383 are ratings. Combined they represent 14.5 per cent of the global workforce.

The Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) has launched an emergency sim card fund of £5,000 to ensure Ukrainian seafarers can contact loved ones back home, while estimates suggest there are more than 2,000 other nationality seafarers stranded in Ukrainian waters.