By Natalie Ruffner
Seafarers are integral parts of the shipping and maritime industry. Given their importance, one could assume that they are treated as such. Unfortunately, this is not the case. With the start of the pandemic in 2020, many seafarers were stripped of their rights and treated poorly as they were abandoned at sea and forced to work longer months outside their contracts. A little over a year later, there are still many unvaccinated crewmembers stuck at sea. The virus created many complications within the workforce, and necessary solutions were not implemented to ensure seafarers could return to land safely. Little is being done to make crew changes, and the situation is worsening as the Covid-19 Delta variant rapidly spreads. If this treatment continues, the shipping and cargo industries may fall into further crisis as there is a predicted shortage of ship officers in upcoming years.
In a July article on ‘G Captain’ by Jonathan Saul and Roslan Khasawneh, they outline the number of seafarers forced to endure this critical situation; “They are among about 100,000 seafarers stranded at sea beyond their regular stints of typically 3-9 months…. Another 100,000 are stuck on shore, unable to board the ships they need to earn a living on.”[1]
In the cruise ship industry, seafarers were able to get home safely as borders around the world began to close, however, other industries like cargo were not as fortunate. The International Transport Federation (ITF) regularly reports on the seafarer crisis. Dave Hindel, the chair of the Seafarers’ section within the ITF noted that cruise ship mariners have largely been repatriated to their homes during the pandemic. Mariners working on tankers and freighters were not as lucky: “While this is a fantastic result in the cruise industry, we need to remember that there remain around 300,000 seafarers trapped working over their contracts aboard cargo vessels, some as much as 16 months. Well over their 8-9 months as expected. This number is growing day-by-day.”[2]
Also in the ‘G Captain’ story, Hindel says that the means for a solution exists, however it must be set in motion; “The answer here is simple: governments have to make practical exemptions to restrictions on seafarers’ travel and transit so that we can see a return to functional crew changes. It is imperative that we get these hundreds of thousands of seafarers off their ships after their contracts have expired, just as we did in the cruise industry.”[3]
The International Transport Workers’ Federation classifies the predicament as modern-day slavery. ITF states: “This ‘crew change crisis’ is a government-made crisis. That is because governments have torn up seafarers’ long-held rights to come ashore to go home via a ‘port state’ at the end of our contracts on vessels. Governments have also scrapped border and immigration exemptions which seafarers need to enter countries when joining a ship and are an essential part of relieving those who are on board and need to go home.”[4]
The lack of government support for the industry plays a role in deterring future seafarers from choosing their career. While the industry has made some progress to reduce current turnover rates, they are unsuccessful in finding new recruits. The most recent Seafarer Workforce Report released by BIMCO (The Baltic and International Maritime Council) and the International Chamber of Shipping indicates a severe shortage of available officers. An article on the BIMCO website covering the details of the report states:
“The new report also highlights a current shortfall of 26,240 STCW certified officers, indicating that demand for seafarers in 2021 has outpaced supply. Although there has been a 10.8% increase in the supply of officers since 2015, this shortfall could be due to a reported increase in officers needed on board vessels, with an average of 1.4 officers required per berth.”[5]
The projected officer shortage will cause disruptions in global supply chains if vessels do not have enough qualified officers.
Jonathan Saul reiterated the findings of the BIMCO report, emphasizing the need to retain and recruit seafarers. He argues: “The shipping industry is already struggling with crewing shortfalls due to the coronavirus pandemic, a situation that will exacerbate expected labor supply problems over the next few years…”[6]
Saul includes thoughts from ICS secretary general Guy Platten on the effect this shortage will have: “Combined with a surge in demand for labor, this is pushing global supply chains to breaking point.”[7]
ITF notes that attempts at reform are not always supported by governments. Authorities don’t fully understand the gravity of the threat to seafarers and often act in the interests of the freight and not in the interests of the mariners.
Michael Grey, a writer for Sea Trade Maritime News says if governments and shippers cared as much about seafarers’ welfare and rights as they do about the safety of their freight, there would be an effective vaccination system already in place.
Grey adds: “Let’s be honest, the world managed to get by without the cruise sector for the past eighteen months, but it would have descended into chaos and starvation, if the crews of those bulkers, tankers and container ships had stopped operating their ships. So, you might think that somebody – owners, managers, flag states, WHO officials – would have been loudly championing the priority of seafarers for vaccination once approved jabs had been made available.”[8]
A Bloomberg report provides updates on the vaccine situation, noting that the process is moving far too slowly, and too many restrictions are in place: “The shipping industry is sounding the alarm as infections increase and some ports continue to restrict access to seafarers from developing countries that supply the majority of maritime workers but can’t vaccinate them.”[9]
Outbreaks on ships pose a further risk to the industry. Vaccines for seafarers are both urgent and essential. In the Bloomberg article, Esben Poulsson, chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping representing shipowners agrees: “With this new delta strain, there’s no doubt it’s setting us back and the situation is getting worse. Demand for products isn’t letting up, crew changes aren’t happening fast enough, and governments continue to stick their heads in the sand.”[10]
Dave Hindel comments on the lack of accountability within the flag states: “We are being asked to consider ‘a fair future’. But what about a fair present where flag states cooperate with seafarers’ home countries to source and distribute vaccines? How about a fair present where flag states don’t get away with shoving their responsibilities onto the shoulders of seafarers’ unions, charities, and a handful of supportive shipowners?”[11]
Despite some seafarers slowly returning to land, there are still many crews stuck at sea following the onset of the pandemic. Currently, the hope for an improved situation is quickly diminishing as the Covid-19 Delta variant continues to spread. Solutions such as policy exemptions and vaccinations are necessary steps for improvement, however authorities don’t appear to care enough to push for their implementation. If necessary action is not taken soon, the future of the shipping industry will fall into further crisis as the demand for seafarers continues to rise at a time when mistreatment of crews and their stranding at sea becomes an international abuse of human rights.
FOOTNOTES
[1] https://gcaptain.com/stranded-seafarers-covid-logistics-shutdown/
[2] ibid
[3] Ibid
[4] https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/day-seafarer-meaningless-without-vaccines-and-our-rights-restored
[5] https://www.bimco.org/news/priority-news/20210728—bimco-ics-seafarer-workforce-report
[6] https://gcaptain.com/the-pool-of-ship-officers-is-running-dry/?subscriber=true&goal=0_f50174ef03-8fd43aa2f1-169966254&mc_cid=8fd43aa2f1&mc_eid=f4fd64d0a0
[7] ibid
[8] https://www.seatrade-maritime.com/opinions-analysis/seafarers-and-skewed-vaccination-priorities
[9] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-12/shipping-chaos-not-going-away-with-most-seafarers-unvaccinated
[10] Ibid
[11] https://www.itfseafarers.org/en/news/day-seafarer-meaningless-without-vaccines-and-our-rights-restored