Book Review: World of the seafarer

Edited by Professor Victor Oyaro Gekara and Professor Helen Sampson, it brings together a range of qualitative essays that explore the complexities and challenges seafarers face at various stages of their careers, from recruitment and training to life aboard ships and the support systems that sustain them.

As the editors explained to SAFETY4SEA, this book was conceived to examine the sector’s complexity, specifically, from the perspective of seafarers and their families. It was developed from the work of PhD studies undertaken in conjunction with the SIRC-Nippon Foundation Fellowship programme (2004-2017). These involved in-depth investigations into a wide variety of topics relating to seafarers’ work and lives. As such the book contains chapters on seafarers’ motivations in going to sea, their recruitment and training, and their employment and life experiences on board and ashore.

In putting the volume together, the editors and authors were motivated by the desire to fill a critical gap in the literature relating to the perspective of the people at the sharp end, of safe operations in global shipping.

The editors also address the increasing importance of sustainability, gender equality, safety, and the evolving roles seafarers play in the global economy, touching on the complexities of working in an industry that is both physically demanding and integral to global trade.

In addition to the experiences of the seafarers themselves, the book glances into the broader socio-economic context, highlighting the impact of labor markets, unions, and family dynamics on seafaring life.

Despite an increasing awareness of the importance of the human element in shipping, the perspective of seafarers remains largely overlooked. This book provides a critical insight into the thoughts, motives and experiences of seafarers across the globe. It is a must-read for anyone concerned to develop a deep understanding of the sector and its key actors

… said Professor Helen Sampson to SAFETY4SEA