Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the maritime industry once again faces a great challenge to overcome this unprecedented situation for stranded seafarers.Our seafarers are ON BOARD BUT they must NOT feel ALONE, highlights Mrs Maria Christopoulou, Associate of ASCOT Consulting.
Seafarers Hospital Society has joined forces with the Big White Wall to provide mental health and wellbeing advice and support service to working seafarers based in the UK who may be struggling to cope. The service has now been extended to the families of working seafarers, with the Sailors’ Children’s Society (SCS).
Life onboard is facing new challenges amid the COVID-19 crisis, as seafarers have to be extra persistent when it comes to their hygiene routine, they have to be cautious in case of an infected person onboard, while the whole shipping industry, such as flag States, companies and masters, have to collaborate to ensure seafarers’ safety and follow measures for the virus’ containment.
Filipino seafarers have to deal with stress beginning from shore, months prior to their shipboard deployment when training, assessments and examinations consume a chunk of their shore leave. He added that master mariners need 20 to 30 trainings for them to become fully compliant to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention.
Not all people are the same and subsequently, their body does not respond to fatigue at the same way. That means, individuals may become fatigued at different times and to different degrees of severity, under same circumstances.
During a TUC Women’s Conference in London, the topic of discussion focused on women’s menstrual products and the obstacles women in shipping face during menstrual days when onboard. The discussions around menstrual products are on the spotlight the past couple years, with many supporting the decrease of VAT on sanitary products.
Fatigue has been a much discussed issue linked to the nature of seafaring, which can have serious consequences not only for the safety and health of seafarers, but even operational safety and the marine environment. In this regard, AMSA issued guidelines to address fatigue for Australian and foreign flagged vessels.
Life onboard has its own unique characteristics but is a demanding task for those who opt for it. As soon as the industry realized that crew wellness affects safety and efficiency of operations, maritime stakeholders have shed their focus on finding ways to address the issue. In this context, SAFETY4SEA conducted a survey aiming to assess the five key aspects of wellness for people working onboard: Social, Emotional, Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual.
A new research focused on the pressures facing seafarers by corruption when they arrive at some ports. Interviews gathered by academics at Cardiff University reveal how seafarers are often faced with demands for cash and provisions when their vessels enter ports.
The SkillSea project was presented to an audience during the European Shipping Week event, with details concerning the four-year project and its goals to improve European seafarers’ place in the shipping industry.
