Bulk Carrier master Tejinder Singh, from northern India, is not optimistic of going ashore anytime soon; his last stint at sea lasted 11 months. His crew of Indians and Filipinos were living out of cabins measuring about 15ft by 6ft. This growing issue of seafarers stranded across oceans is cause for alarm bells to ring.
The plight of seafarers
There are about 100,000 seafarers stranded at sea beyond their regular contracts of typically 3-9 months, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Many of them going without even a day’s break on land. Another 100,000 are stuck on shore, unable to board the ships on which they earn their living.
The ICS estimates that only 2.5% of Asian seafarers have been vaccinated for Covid19 amongst 1.7 million, as nations prohibit land access even for medical treatments.
Ships transport around 90% of the world’s trade, the deepening crisis could entirely disrupt supply chains. The world relies on them for everything from oil and metals to food and electronics. As a result, the United Nations has urged nations to classify seafarers as essential workers.
“We are forgotten and taken for granted, people don’t know how their supermarkets are stocked up” says Singh. He was referring to the plight facing tens of thousands of seafarers like him, stranded at sea as nations restrict access to land fearing Delta variant.
“Being at sea for a very long time is tough,” he adds that he had heard reports of seafarers committing suicide on other ships.
“We are seriously disturbed that a second global crew change crisis is looming large on the horizon,” said Guy Platten, secretary general of the ICS to Reuters. He was referring to months-long stretch in 2020 when 200,000 seafarers on ships were unable to be relieved, although maximum allowed contract length is 11 months, as stipulated by a U.N. seafaring convention.
“Asia really is struggling and the only countries you can go about routine crew changes to some extent are Japan and Singapore,” said Rajesh Unni, chief executive of Synergy Marine Group, a leading ship manager responsible for 14,000 seafarers.
“The issue is that we have one set of people who desperately want to go home because they have finished their tenure, and another set of people onshore that are desperate to get back onboard to earn a living.”
The General Secretary of the ITF, Stephen Cotton, said seafarers were being pushed to their physical and mental limits.
“Some in the industry estimate that as many as 25% fewer seafarers are joining vessels than pre-pandemic,” he added. “We have warned that global brands need to be ready for the moment some of these tired and fatigued people finally snap.”
Need for change
While COVID-19 infections in India have retreated from their peak, countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Indonesia are grappling surging cases and imposing new lockdowns. Most seafarers come from developing nations that have struggled to secure adequate vaccination supplies, leaving many in the maritime industry low on the priority list.
Governments with significant access to vaccines have a “moral responsibility” towards seafarers, said the ICS’s Platten. “They must follow the lead of the U.S. and the Netherlands to vaccinate non-native crews delivering goods to their ports. They must prioritise seafarer vaccination,” he added.
A total of 55 member countries of the U.N. shipping agency and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has classed seafarers as essential workers, said David Hammond, chief executive of the charitable organization Human Rights at Sea. The IMO said the latest figures showed the numbers had risen to 60 member countries and two associate members. This classification would allow seafarers to travel more freely, return to their homes and give them better access to vaccines.
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