Nautilus International has urged shipowners and operators to stock up on sanitary products for crew who may be onboard longer than anticipated, amid an ongoing crew change crisis which has left thousands of seafarers onboard ships beyond contract periods.
With ongoing travel restrictions, some female seafarers may be onboard for many months longer than expected, leaving them at risk of running out of necessary articles, Nautilus stressed, while the issue is aggravated by a lack of shore leave for restocking.
Sanitary products should be made available in medical lockers onboard vessels to save female seafarers having to pack enough supplies to see out their trip,
…the Union said.
Concerns over sanitary provision were raised at the Nautilus Equality and Diversity Forum, which includes the Nautilus women’s group.
ILO data has earlier revealed that an estimated 40% of female seafarers do not have access to sanitary bins onboard ships. In addition, Nautilus said that some of its member female seafarers pack their menstrual products in their own luggage to last the duration of their trip, to ensure they have enough with them when onboard.
SAFETY4SEA Crew Wellness Survey of 2019 showed that female seafarers were generally less satisfied than males. Meanwhile, a survey by IHMA, ISWAN, ITF, and Seafarers Hospital Society to 595 female seafarers in 2015 identified joint/back pain and anxiety/stress/depression as the two biggest health challenges that half of the respondents faced.
