Living and working conditions for many of the
world’s seafarers remain ‘challenging’, and the
industry needs to do much more to improve key
elements of life at sea if it is serious about tackling
concerns over the mental health of crew, a new study has
warned.
Some 75% of seafarers still serve on temporary con-tracts
that cause financial instability, almost half have no
pension contributions from their employers, and one in 10
say they are never able to go ashore, the research shows.
On the plus side, researchers found that average tours
of duty have fallen significantly over the period, daily
working hours have declined and overall levels of internet
access have increased.
Produced by the Seafarers International Research
Centre at Cardiff University, the report is based on
feedback from two surveys of more than 1,500 seafarers
carried out in 2011 and 2016.
Only one-quarter of seafarers said they were employed
on a permanent basis – and British seafarers were the only
national group where the majority had permanent con-tracts.
In 2011, 55% of seafarers said they worked tours of duty
of six months or longer – but in 2016 the proportion had
fallen to just 34%. However, Chinese seafarers reported an
increase in their tour lengths – with almost two-thirds
working for six months or more at a time.
The study also found that seafarers got more leave in
2016 than they did five years earlier – with the average
rising from 75.68 days a year to 86.29 days a year.
Around 47% of seafarers said their company did not pay
pension contributions, 40% said the company did pay and
13% had no idea what their employer did about pensions.
The study found a decline in trade union membership
levels among seafarers – from 40% in 2011 to 34% in 2016,
and with a particularly marked fall among younger
officers.
Seafarers reported a fall in the mean number of hours
worked while in port – from 10.276 in 2011 to 9.755 in 2016.
Average daily hours worked at sea also reduced, from 9.483
in 2011 to 9.164 in 2016. Almost three-quarters of seafarers
still work seven days a week.
The proportion of seafarers sharing cabins dropped
from 14% to 10% over the five-year period and those with
no access to private bathroom facilities onboard reduced
from 24% to 21% in the same timescale.
Researchers said there had been little change in levels
30 SUOMEN MERENKULKU J FINLANDS SJÖFART
of satisfaction with cabin sizes, with just over one-quarter
of crews saying they were not happy – and those serving
on vessels built in South Korea significantly happier with
cabin size than those on Japanese or Chinese-built ships.
In 2016, almost two-thirds of seafarers said they could
control the temperature within their cabins, 57% said they
could control electric light levels and 90% had access to
natural light in their cabin. ‘Natural light and a window is
important to human health and wellbeing,’ the report
notes, ‘and for one in 10 seafarers to lack access to natural
light in their cabins is disturbing, particularly given that
engineers and engine ratings spend most of their working
time inside spaces that do not have access to natural light.’
Some 60% of seafarers say they are disturbed by noise
in their cabins for some or all of the time – with the rates
rising to 72% on the smallest ships and 73% on Chinese-built
vessels.
The proportion complaining of being disturbed by
vibration in their cabins fell from 63% in 2011 to 59% in
2016.
In 2016, 13% of seafarers said they were not able to get
adequate rest very often or ever – down from 19% since
2011. But the numbers who described their rest as inad-equate
all of the time rose from 35% to 53% over the same
period.
The report notes that well over 90% of seafarers said
they were provided with standard personal protective
equipment, such as safety shoes, coveralls, ear plugs and
goggles. However, much lower levels of provision were
reported for things like sun block, malaria tablets and
mosquito repellent.
Pointing to research showing a rise in levels of psycho-logical
problems being suffered by seafarers, the report
stresses the importance of recreational activities and calls
for the issues to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
‘Facilities which allow seafarers the opportunity for
mental restoration are extremely limited onboard cargo
ships when compared to workers ashore,’ the report adds.
‘This has consequences for the mental wellbeing of
seafarers and deserves far greater attention from ship
operators and regulators, as both an issue to the right to
decent working and living conditions and as an issue of
safety.’
Although levels of internet access have risen signifi-cantly
over the five-year period, researchers found that
almost half the seafarers with internet onboard are
unhappy with connection speeds and only 44% had ‘video
chat’ possibilities. ‘These results are disappointing, as they
reveal that even where internet connections are made
available to seafarers these are of a limited nature and fall
short of shore-based standards where video calls are now
commonplace,’ the report adds.
Email access also increased, but seafarers who were
charged for email and internet services reported a
substantial rise in hourly charges – from an average of
”Contracts and communications
have improved, but living condi-tions
are much the same.”