Why the recruitment pitch for a career at sea is so weak

LAST week's column looked at the impending shortage of seafarers, particularly that of officers. To tackle this, the two biggest shipping industry and shipowners' organisations have published a report with a slew of recommendations on training and recruitment.

However the big question is whether going to sea is really a good career; the obvious follow-on question is whether those working at sea generally feel happy.

Probably the best measure of this is the Seafarers Happiness Index, launched by global welfare charity The Mission to Seafarers (MtS) in 2015. Its website describes the index "as a way to gauge the thoughts and feelings that seafarers have about their lives at sea". Quarterly reports are published in association with ship manager Wallem and mutual insurer the Standard Club.

MtS said: "Our aim is to get the opinion of the overall seafaring community to help us understand the good and bad aspects of this challenging career path so we can build a case for change in the industry."

The survey supporting the index asked 10 questions. The responses received for Quarter 2 of 2021 resulted in a fall in happiness across all 10 questions. The index stood at 5.99/10, compared to 6.46 the quarter before. This comprehensive report should be read by anybody in a managerial position in the shipping industry.

In its summary, MtS pulled no punches, "painting a grim picture of seafarer welfare with overall happiness dropping to an all-time low since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic".

The coronavirus factor

Of course, to large extent, the coronavirus has been the factor that has adversely hurt seafarer wellbeing. So it is no surprise that the report found seafarers were becoming frustrated about being constantly kept in the same environment because of the lack of shore leave.

The quarter's report notes the need for wider vaccination programmes and identifies three issues:

• The ban of shore leave in ports;
• The continued delay in declaring seamen's "key worker" status; and
• The minimal movement allowed for crew.

MtS said: "The absence of freedom of movement and continued extended contracts has dashed all positive thoughts seafarers once had, as boredom and irritation about life at sea increase. One seafarer who responded to the survey mentioned having gone through 11/2 years without having set foot on land, highlighting the dramatic need for the industry to do more."

MtS warned that the ban on shore leave and being on a ship for prolonged periods has hurt seamen's physical wellbeing. Those who had previously been motivated to stay active have begun experiencing lethargy, apathy and physical exhaustion months into their assignments.

MtS noted that Singapore, with other major flag states and seafaring nations, including Cyprus, the Philippines, Germany and the USA, are leading in vaccination programmes. But with happiness levels down to 5.99 out of 10, "it is time for the industry to ramp up international progress".

MtS further noted: "In previous Seafarers Happiness Index reports, it was possible to see a rising tide of optimism as crews thought that either the pandemic was receding, or that vaccinations would lift the pall on the crew-change crisis.

The latest responses showed that if people know when they are going home, there is hope. However, if there is now doubt, fear and uncertainty. Everything becomes a problem, and the pressures on board seem to be ramping up."

Andrew Wright, secretary-general of MtS, said: "As vaccination programmes in many countries have progressed, seafarers have once again been left behind.

This quarter's Seafarer Happiness Index results are not only concerning, but suggest that the situation is going backwards after the progress that had been made in the last quarter.

'Key worker' status

"The only sustainable solution is to once again call on governments and the industry to designate seafarers as key workers and speed up the vaccination process for crew, which may be the only hope of getting them home to their loved ones, as well as permitting them shore leave.

"More importantly, we must continue to listen to seafarers to ensure that their demands are met. After all, these men and women have been instrumental in keeping global trade afloat, including (being involved in the delivery of) the essential supplies needed to support effective vaccination programmes. We have leaned far too heavily on them in this past year; they deserve far better."

All of this is absolutely correct, but it would be a mistake to assume that once the pandemic is behind us, everything will be all right.

The report looks at much more than just the immediate effects of Covid-19. In many ways, working at sea has become less attractive. Smaller crews, mixed nationalities, air conditioning (meaning closed cabin doors) and the understandable suppression of the formerly pervasive drinking culture have resulted in a less sociable, lonelier existence. For senior officers, the demands of the job have increased, and the move to smaller crews has raised fatigue issues.

Add to all of that, the virtual disappearance of shore leave for a large proportion of the commercial fleet even before the pandemic, and you end up with a weak recruiting pitch.