Present Challenges in Crewing Post-Covid And Its Solutions

COVID-19 has had a significant effect on shipping because of its inherent global character. The pandemic poses unique challenges for shipping firms, with several nations shutting their borders and limiting port access.

Present Challenges in Crewing Post-Covid

The effect of the pandemic on seafarers is no joke. The travel bans and restrictions imposed by almost every country due to the pandemic have seriously affected seafarers. Here are a few challenges currently faced by the seafarers:

The economic impact threatens to undo years of progress in safety.

The pandemic has badly impacted marine commerce, which was already declining due to trade tensions and falling economic development. The World Trade Organization's Goods Trade Barometer revealed a significant decline in the second quarter of 2020, it fell to its lowest level on record. The greatest drops were in automotive items and container transportation, indicating a combination of poor demand for commodities and supply-side restrictions. It is anticipated to be up to 25% lower soon.

Crew Change Restrictions?

According to Captain Andrew Kinsey, Senior Marine Risk Consultant at AGCS, one of the most pressing immediate problems for shipping firms during the pandemic has been the difficulty to shift personnel, which is critical to ensuring safety, crew health, and welfare.

Crew members have been forced to prolong their duty on board ships due to port, border, and transit limitations since they are unable to return to their homes and families. According to statistics from Inchcape Shipping Services, most major ports have placed limitations on boats and personnel – 120 nations enacted restrictions, while 92 banned crew changes altogether.

The scenario is constantly fluctuating.

Even though the condition of seafarers has been publicly recognized, prompting mobilization efforts from both the shipping industry and international organizations, there is still more to be done.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) believes that between 250,000 and 300,000 seafarers are still trapped onboard ships, unable to leave. A comparable number of sailors have been stranded on land for months, unable to work.

According to ICS Secretary-General Guy Platten, despite some progress achieved by shipowners who pushed governments to allow crew transfers, the situation worsens with each passing week.

Slow Roll-out of Vaccines

Global seafarer vaccines are moving too slowly to prevent outbreaks on ships from disrupting commerce, threatening maritime workers, and possibly hurting economies struggling to recover from pandemic slowdowns.

ICS estimates only 35,000-40,000 seafarers are vaccinated — 2.5% of the global pool of maritime workers.

Infections aboard ships may wreak even more havoc on already stressed global supply networks, just as the United States and Europe begin to recover and businesses begin stockpiling for the holidays. As illnesses rise, the shipping industry is raising the alarm. Some ports continue to limit access to sailors from developing nations, which provide the bulk of marine personnel but cannot vaccine them.

Mental Health Issues

Long lengths of time onboard a vessel may induce crew tiredness, which is recognized to be one of the underlying causes of human error and is believed to be a significant factor in 75% to 96 per cent of maritime accidents, according to Kinsey.

What is occurring today may have an effect on the recruitment of seafarers in the future.

According to experts, what is now occurring to sea workers will have a detrimental impact on the future of recruitment.

According to Adams, there is a danger that young sailors may feel vulnerable and discouraged from pursuing a career at sea.

Even though the future of shipping is heading toward automation, Adams thinks that the business still needs young people to become sailors and that the present scenario may discourage them from doing so.

“As an industry, we will need to incentivize bright young individuals to choose a seagoing profession. This kind of stuff isn't going to help,” he said.

Columbia Shipmanagement managing director Andreas Hadjipetrou, on the other hand, has remained optimistic, thinking that, despite everything, the next generation of seafarers would not be discouraged.

“To be honest, being a seafarer was never seen as the simplest of jobs,” he observed. “I believe that the new generation of sailors feels this in their blood and it thrills them. Young individuals who aspire to be sailors will pursue their dreams and will not give up.”

The Source of the Crisis

These problems have not been addressed because the shipping industry has not successfully advocated for seafarers' rights to the government. The industry must demonstrate greater compassion for troubled sailors and come to their aid. Otherwise, the sector will suffer significant losses, especially when the bulk of the workforce is tired, pressured, and dissatisfied.

Another reason these problems are being overlooked is countries' refusal to recognize seafarers as "Key Workers," as the IMO Secretary-General has requested. This has already resulted in significant difficulties. This careless attitude is directly related to the dramatic increase in suicides, as well as the increased incidence of depression, tiredness, and stress in the workplace. This necessitates the implementation of a robust security mechanism for these "Key Workers." Because marine transportation contributes to 80% of global commerce, seafarers have a claim to government assistance and relief.

Seafarers, too, feel abandoned and have come to see ships as floating prisons in every way. On the other side, the same travel limitations have increased unemployment rates among sailors who are eagerly awaiting their turn to sail. Seafarers are having difficulty obtaining crew rotation visas. Another significant impediment to return is the stoppage of commercial flights.

The Solution?

The major impediment to addressing this issue is that many health border protection agencies still do not have a thorough grasp of the critical role of seafarers in the flow of global commerce. Given the significance of shipping to the global economy, immediate action at the highest political level is required. And by this, I mean actions rather than words. The present scenario, in which hundreds of thousands of seafarers are compelled to labour beyond the terms of their contracts, is simply unsustainable.

As is evident, seafarers must be designated "Key Workers" to keep the industry running smoothly. Facilitating crew changes and returning sailors home may be lifesavers for the crew's mental and emotional well-being.