More than 80% of the world’s commercial goods are delivered on board cargo ships, and thousands of merchant sailors who run these ships are now stuck due to COVID-19. Some of these workers have started to refer to their vessels as floating prisons.
During the challenging times arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, Inmarsat investigates the role of technology in enhancing crew welfare onboard, health and wellbeing at sea.
UK based seafarers’ wellness organization ISWAN announced launch of a two-week digital campaign, aiming to highlight the importance of connecting with others for crew wellbeing.
OCIMF and the maritime industry in general have recognized the potentially serious impact and risks associated with the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs or other impairing substances by maritime personnel. The amended 2010 STCW Convention requires administration should put in place adequate measures to prevent drug and alcohol abuse.
In a recently published Marine Notice, AMSA outlines the maximum continuous period that a seafarer can serve on board a vessel without taking leave during the period of disruption that has been caused by COVID-19.
The Standard Club’s loss prevention (LP) department comments on how this current crisis in oil prices coupled with the fall in demand has pushed several oil producers, traders and consumers to stock up, leading to a shortage in storage space for oil, not just crude but even clean products such as aviation fuel and gasoline.
“Despite of this challenging situation, our seafarers are staying strong to maintain the supply chain moving, to keep the global economy running and to support the lives of people all across the globe. Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.Thank you Seafarers!”
In a detailed guidance, AMSA highlights the importance of providing adequate sources at a company level to manage the risks of fatigue. Duty scheduling and planning to control work and rest hours is one of the critical issues in managing fatigue.
The type of work conducted on board and the many confined spaces may lead to head injuries, among other hazards. In fact, head injuries is one of the common injuries for crew members while on duty due to failure to use safety equipment (helmets); inappropriate or damaged PPE; slip and fall accidents; accidents involving cranes and cargo; and improperly stored equipment.
Gard is seeing significant number of cases where the seafarer who was declared fit for the contractual duration under medication, reports sick because of either a lack of medication or simply not being able to manage his or her medication routine.
