At
one end is the investments by quality owners and managers in gleaming
newbuildings with investments in connectivity, catering and social activity
spaces, and at the other are seafarers
trapped onboard aging rust buckets, and in the worst cases left abandoned,
unpaid and starving thousands of miles away from home. The latest reports
from both the quarterly Seafarer Happiness Index highlighting the difficulties
in taking shore leave and the by the International Transport Workers
Federation’s (ITF) frankly shocking figures for seafarer abandonment in 2024
make depressing reading.
Both
underscore that there is still much work to be done to ensure the mental and
physical welfare of those at the sharp end of world trade and keep goods, and
therefore the global economy flowing. The
pandemic saw seafarers imprisoned on their vessels unable to get off for shore
leave or even to be relieved at the end of their contracts, despite all the
calls for seafarers to be recognised as key workers most states did not do this
and unfortunately shore leave remains an issue today.
The
issue of the inability to take shore leave was highlighted in the latest
Seafarers Happiness Index for the fourth quarter of 2024 produced by the Mission
to Seafarers in partnership with Idwal and
NorthStandard. Overall, the index fell to 6.91 points from 7.16 points compared
to Q3 2024 and when it came to shore leave the index dropped to 6.12 points in
Q4 last year compared 6.52 in the previous quarter. The quarterly report for the index said shore leave “remains a
significant challenge for seafarers” with systematic barriers such as port
policies to security concerns. It described seafarers as having “palpable
frustration, even anger” at port operators with certain ports seen as making
the process of shore leave unnecessarily difficult even though there is a legal
obligation to provide shore leave.
Seafarers face gates shut to nearby town centres,
movement around terminals limited to buses of uncertain schedules, and
frequently dirty when they do turn up, as well in some cases disembarkation
fees and other financial barriers.
And
its not all on the port side with operational constraints of vessels on tight
schedules, inspections, cargo operations and maintenance resulting in a lack of
shore leave opportunities.
Shore
leave should not be seen as a privilege and regulations such as the Maritime
Labour Convention (MLC) are meant to ensure seafarers get access to much needed
time away from the vessel where they live and work, but clearly this is not happening
in many cases.