Supporting crew welfare post-Covid: What can the industry do?

Seafarers are a vital workforce keeping the world economy going. However, it took a pandemic to spotlight the importance of seafarers and their contributions, as this importance became more obvious when the shelves were empty and people could not actually get their stuff during the pandemic, noted Mrs. Sara Baade, CEO, Sailors’ Society. What can the industry do to enhance the level of awareness of seafarers’ contribution?

We have steps to improve crew welfare…It is a multi-pronged approach; it is not one aspect that will solve this problem. Education is key…but you also need to have strong visible leadership, people who are willing to speak up or willing to do the hard yards to make it work, and the opportunity for effective and real reporting mechanisms -not just lending a bit of a brush over the top of it, but actually getting down and understanding what the issues are,

…said Jillian Carson-Jackson, President, The Nautical Institute.

#1 Increase accountability

The biggest recent challenge surrounding crew wellness has been the issue of limited crew changes that left thousands of seafarers trapped onboard beyond contract limits. In this respect, one of the main lessons learned during the pandemic is the accountability that had to be taken on by all relevant stakeholders, according to Ismael Cobos Delgado, Head, Maritime Training and Human Element, IMO:

“It is fundamental to raise awareness at all levels in the governments of the relevance of shipping for the global supply chain and the role of seafarers on this…The main goal here would be that every authority playing a role in the global supply chain, including health authorities and immigration, uphold their respective responsibility to ensure continuity of business even in exceptional circumstances,

…he stressed.

#2 Pay attention to recreation

Social interaction makes a great difference on how people feel and act, improving crews’ work-life balance, while active engagement in social life onboard is considered to have a real and positive impact on their welfare, the experts argued.

We have got to adapt our services even more…to allow for greater recreational facilities onboard because chances are crews are not going to be able to get off that much and, if they do get off, they’re only going to get into the port, so we’ve got to make sure that port wealth welfare facilities are available,

…noted Simon Grainge, Chief Executive, ISWAN.

#3 Enhance industry collaboration

The pandemic has made collaboration a new habit, noted Mr. Grainge. Even if there were some online connections before, it was the pandemic that brought an unprecedented level of online collaboration due to necessity, said Ms. Carson-Jackson.

“Organizations don’t need to meet up in the same environment and same physical workspace to connect, to brainstorm, to identify the solutions. We have more connections now than ever before. We did it because of necessity; now that necessity is gone, I really hope that we can keep these lines of communication,

…she said.

“Where there is a will, there is a way. I think really if the industry sees it as a commercial imperative, then it will happen,

…added Mr. Grainge.

#4 Address bullying and harassment

The first step forward for the industry to address bullying and harassment is to recognize that it exists as a problem within the sector, as it exists in society, argued Ms. Carson-Jackson, noting that this phenomenon is probably much more widespread than we have heard, due to the reporting mechanisms and the stigma around reporting.

“It is not something that has been widely assessed so its extent is very difficult to identify. But I think (we can address it) by recognizing it exists, by providing the training and that peer-to-peer work that standard society has been working on, by…identifying a reporting mechanism that is accessible and effective and outside of that stigma aspect, by having visible leadership that can actually light the way and to show that it’s okay to talk about this,

…she stressed.

“I think bullying is probably that we see the most, but also adding to that, we see a lot of seafarers are scared of speaking up there but don’t fear that they can speak up or say what they really want in the fear that they might get blacklisted,

…pointed out Ms. Baade.

#5 Remember seafarers are humans

“We all have varying degrees of resilience at different times in our lives, but we do expect a huge amount from seafarers; the fatigue that they’re under, the length of the contract, the amount of time that they actually have to work when they are onboard, (the fact that) they can’t get away, the isolation…We can’t take seafarers’ resilience for granted,

…stressed Mr. Grainge.

How can we attract more people to our industry?

Increasing the public awareness of what the shipping industry is actually providing the world with could be a fundamental way forward for the sector to attract more talent, panelists said. This could also help associate the job of a seafarer with a higher-level status, noted Mr. Grainge. In addition, the working conditions, the length of contracts, the wages, the recreational facilities, and the connectivity are all fundamental in a modern work environment that wishes to attract young generations, the experts agreed.

We constantly need to look at what is it that young people -digital natives- are looking for in future employment and then we need to deliver and address that,

…noted Ms. Baade.

“Be proud be loud tell the crowd that maritime matters, seafarers matter and what we do in maritime matters every single day to every single person,

…concluded Ms. Carson-Jackson.

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