2021 has been another crucial year for seafarers’ wellness with the crew change crisis continuing to occupy discussions. Data by Global Maritime Forum showed that in summer 2021, almost 9% of merchant sailors remained stuck aboard their ships beyond contracts, which potentially creates adverse effects for wellbeing onboard, especially following a challenging 2020.
Recognizing the need for awareness on seafarers’ struggles, the industry selected “seafarers are the core of shipping’s future” as the theme of World Maritime Day 2021, while launching several initiatives aimed to show it cares for its seafarers. What has the progress been this year with respect to crew welfare onboard?
Seafarers’ wellness in 2021: An overview
The latest Seafarers Happiness Index revealed an increase of crew happiness from 2020, reaching pre-pandemic levels, but with significant concerns remaining in shore leave and extended contracts, as well as inefficient and expensive connectivity onboard.
A second major crew welfare survey by SAFETY4SEA to 14,768 seafarers within 2021 unveiled that the pandemic had a severe impact on both their health and wellbeing, with the most regular complaint being poor Internet connection and communication with people ashore. On the bright side, most participants felt that their companies handled the crisis successfully with respect to information and COVID-19 updates provided onboard.
Another recent research by World Maritime University (WMU) identified repatriation, access to health care, lack of shore leave, extended working hours, and impact of disruption of the sign-on/sign-off schedules, as the key current challenges seafarers face, while it concluded important shortcomings in the implementation of safety culture onboard in the context of work and rest hours and their record-keeping inaccuracy.
Meanwhile, findings of Seafarers Hospital Society’s research with Yale University and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, revealed at LISW in September, showed five priorities for shipping companies to improve wellbeing of seafarers:
- get the basics right for food, water, accommodation and recreation;
- minimize bureaucratic workload and undue pressure by automating or moving some aspects ashore;
- look at what can be done to address fatiguing and intensive port calls;
- consider the potential to reduce contract length; and
- address the impact of no change crew clauses on seafarer health and welfare.
The issue of seafarers’ rights was again a hot topic with latest discussions surrounding whether UNCLOS remains fit for purpose in the current complex environment shaped by the pandemic and of course the ongoing violations of MLC contracts that leave crews stuck onboard for months amid travel restrictions.
Amid this landscape, the industry saw numerous initiatives aiming to boost seafarers wellbeing.
A timeline of crew welfare initiatives in 2021
January
- The Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change was signed in January by more than 300 companies and organizations who partnered to help resolve the crew change crisis, which continued to be a major issue in 2021.
- Driven by a seafarer’s suicide onboard and the recognition of the devastating impacts of the pandemic to seafarers, the Isle of Man Ship Registry became the first Flag State to launch a seafarer welfare app.
February
- A group of established maritime entities, including volunteer group Container Shipping Supporting Seafarers (CSSS), maritime EdTech company Safebridge, data analytics company Motion Ventures, and the Universities of Manchester and Plymouth, collaborated to develop the “Safebridge CrewCare” app, which aims to improve the emotional wellbeing of the world’s 1.7 million seafarers.
March
- Amid a wide-spread impact of COVID-19 on wellbeing of those working in maritime transport, Maritime UK launched the Mental Health in Maritime Pledge, which calls upon executives to make a public commitment to improving the quality of mental health and wellbeing provision across the industry.
- The UK published guidance to help ship owners and managers understand the long-term wellbeing impacts of COVID-19 on their crew.
April
- The Seafarers’ Charity awarded £844,760 to 17 organizations for new online services to support seafarers who have experienced sexual violence and to help tackle loneliness and suicide.
May
- Several leading seafarer welfare charities launched the Seafarers International Relief Fund (SIRF) aiming to deliver rapid assistance to seafarers and their families, initially in India and with the potential to expand to other countries. By August, the fund had reached the US$1.17 million.
- Recognizing the challenges that COVID-19 brought to seafarers, ISWAN And V.Group teamed up and support the mental wellbeing of the industry.
- Sailors’ Society announced the expansion of its Wellness at Sea Awareness Campaign, in order to include crewmembers’ families and shore staff.
June
- The Mission to Seafarers launched its Onboard Mental Health Champions webinars and podcast series, as part of its WeCare programme, aiming to address the unique challenges that seafarers face onboard.
- The Crew Welfare Week, a unique industry initiative highlighting key challenges and initiatives towards crew welfare onboard, took place on 22-25 June.
July
- Effective from 1st July, the New Zealand government updated its Maritime Transport Act 1994 to allow maritime levies to fund seafarer welfare services for the purposes of the MLC. This means that about 130,000 seafarers per year visiting one of the 10 NZ ports would receive improved welfare services financially supported by the maritime levy.
- The Mission to Seafarers raised £320,000 for its ongoing crew welfare campaign, aimed to help a range of initiatives and projects, such as crucial support for regional services, assistance for those abandoned and extended PPE supplies, delivering support where it is most needed.
- The Shipowners’ Club and ISWAN launched the app “ISWAN for Seafarers”, which can be used offline to provide help around the clock.
- Sailor’s society launched the Wellness at Sea Awareness programme, a 27-week programme providing a series of resources and advice about staying well across the main areas of life – from relationships to mental health, physical fitness to spiritual wellbeing.
August
- The UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure launched the ‘Supporting our Blue Army’ initiative aiming protects seafarers’ rights with ship owners and help them overcome the challenges they face as a result of the pandemic.
October
- Sustainable Shipping Initiative, Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) and Rafto Foundation for Human Rights launched landmark Code of Conduct and self-assessment tool developed to protect the human rights and welfare of seafarers.
The way forward
Current data on crew wellness suggest a mediocre optimism, with the SHI showing a significant progress from 2020 and the SAFETY4SEA survey revealing a crew welfare index of 71,35% meaning that crew welfare issues are being successfully addressed. The new challenge for the new year will be for the industry to prove it can show a renewed look into wellness onboard that will shift away from guides and put people at the forefront.
“Seafarers need to feel safe and be able to express themselves without fear of reprisal. They need to be looked at as people not just a source of profit. When they finish their tour they are at their highest risk of suicide, not just while they’re on board, but just after they leave the ship too. So the culture of care needs to be holistic – on board and on shore, involving not only the crew but their families as well,
…recently explained Dr Martin Slade, Director of Yale University Maritime Research.
When asked to share her key message with respect to wellbeing onboard, Dr. Maria Carrera, Research Associate at WMU said she wished that “…our solutions will not be a bunch of guides for mental health or technology to collect evidence of mental distress, but that we put people at the forefront and that we address the factors that affect them. In addition, that future maritime leaders will be psycho-educated about mental health and wellbeing and the challenges seafarers face, so they can facilitate changes in the industry and implement sustainable strategies to keep a healthy and fit for duty workforce.”
Dear Sir/Mam,
First of all Merry & Peaceful Christmas for those who care the seaferer May your wisdom glowing more as you show your ideas thanks very much! the celebrant on this season may bless you!