Is COVID-19 shaping a new era for shore leave? 

When COVID-19 started last year, many countries took the decision to impose strict entry restrictions, which of course affected seafarers as well. For example, in February 2020 Singapore decided that it would no longer allow seafarers arriving from China to come ashore.

That was a decision many other countries followed as well. Without a doubt, considering the severity of the pandemic back then, that measure had. However, not being able to disembark and join the ‘real world’ for a few hours is increasingly becoming the norm for seafarers arriving in port.

The main problem with shore leave 

Currently, different countries have different on nationalities, geographical limits, and night-time curfews. Nevertheless, according to senior chaplain Stephen Miller, the Mission to Seafarers’ regional director of East Asia, these are not the biggest issues that prevent seafarers from taking shore leave.

Commenting on what the most severe problems are, Mr. Miller explained that the biggest issue about shore leave is ‘’actually do seafarers have the time?’’ Namely, he highlights that today the turnaround times could be eight hours. Considering the fact that the seafarers are likely working three shifts, if they are in the terminal for eight hours the chances are that two-thirds of that time they are either working or sleeping.

Of course, shore leave is key to mental well-being and requires utmost facilitation. In order to protect seafarers, countries are starting to standardize protocols that designate seafarers as key workers. This is very important as binding seafarers into contracts without their will is a serious human rights violation, which needs to be addressed by national authorities and state flags.

However, the fact is that the well-being of seafarers remains vulnerable to breaches, unless seafarers are apprised of their rights through a formal Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers training module and measures, in order to protect the rights assured under MLC.

Sadly, it seems that shore leave is becoming something of an anachronism

according to Seafarers Happiness Index Q1 2021.

Restriction on board takes a toll 

According to a recent study, prolonged restriction on board without shore leave will likely take toll, especially on the mental state, work performance and health of the seafarer. More specifically, the study that explored all of these aspects, discovered that two out of 5 seafarers felt unhappy, 3 out of 10 felt stressed, and 1 in 6 felt completely fatigued.

In fact, absence of shore leave also affected work performance and, as a result, the health of seafarers, with only 1 in 6 participants indicating that performance was not affected against 4 in 5 seafarers who reported moderate effect due to denial of shore leave.

What is more, adverse effect on health was reported to be on a similar scale with 1 in 3 suggesting moderate effect against only 1 in 4 seafarers having felt no effect. The findings of this survey reveal that the impact of denial of shore leave confirms the concerns being raised since the outbreak of the pandemic.

According to these concerns, diminishing shore leave incredibly influences the well-being of those who frequently face long voyages without a break at any port. Considering that shore leave is a privilege of every seafarer, permitting them sufficient shore leave in the long run improves the general efficiency of work on board.

Nonetheless, the study also noted that it appears that companies are mindful of the adverse impacts since majority (65%) provided additional entertainment facilities on board, while some (25%) took no interest in the matter.

Another very important aspect is the fact that only about 70% of participants had full awareness of the international regulations pertaining to shore leave, while a quarter of the respondents indicated some awareness of the provisions. These could lead to serious problems, as a seafarer could unintentionally breach certain laws, thus getting in trouble. This highlights the fear of criminalization of seafarers, as the vastness of international laws, especially during COVID-19 are stressing out crew. More specifically, seafarers are not always aware of the laws governing a certain country, thus being afraid to even get out of the ship, in fear that they would breach them.

Seafarers not happy with shore leaves 

Indicative of the significant problems that seafarers face with shore leave, is the Seafarers Happiness Index report for the first quarter of 2021. According to the report, the responses on shore leave have repeatedly fallen away over the past year, and each report reveals negative reactions.

The desire to get ashore appears to have dropped over the past few years of SHI reports. Many crew say the costs, hassles and knock-on effects of time off the ship are not worth it. “There are simply not enough people to get the work done, and we cannot cope if people are off ashore,” was the honest reflection of one senior officer. It had become the norm for seafarers to simply try to get through their trips and look forward to getting home rather than the benefits of shore calls. This has been drastically exacerbated by COVID-19.