IT’S London International Shipping Week so we will be producing a short bonus edition of the Lloyd’s List Podcast each day this week.

To start the week we are focusing on the unsung heroes of shipping in advance of a special awards ceremony on Tuesday.

The impact of the pandemic has been felt by us all. But the 1.6m men and women who crew the world fleet have had their lives turned upside down like no other group of workers.

This is of course a story that will not be news to the listeners of the Lloyd’s List Podcast — the crewing crisis has topped the industry agenda — but it’s fair to say that efforts to seek a resolution have stumbled and despite the best efforts of many, shipping and the plight of seafarers have struggled to make it up the priority list for governments globally.

So the Lloyd’s List team were very pleased that, amid the many important discussions happening this week during London International Shipping Week, one of the most high profile events will be the Unsung Heroes Awards.

The awards will celebrate the companies, master mariners and seafarers who have made outstanding contributions during the pandemic

And we are delighted to be joined for the first of these daily London shipping week podcasts by two of the driving forces behind the awards — Ince’s global senior partner Julian Clarke and director of the national maritime museum Paddy Rodgers.