BEING away from friends and family for lengthy periods is a reality for those taking up going to sea as a career. It is something you have to cope with, or find a job ashore.

Of course, it not only the seafarer who has to cope. Seafarers’ spouses and children have to get on with life with a parent absent much of the time. They also have to deal with the knowledge that seafaring is, even in this day and age, a relatively dangerous occupation.

For many seafarers, being separated from loved ones at this time of the year can be particularly hard to bear. To make matters worse, part of the international waterway leading to the Suez Canal is now a war zone.

One group of seafarers caught in the middle of the crisis are – at least at the time of writing – the international crew of the vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader, who are being held in Yemen by Houthi rebels. I have struggled to find any reports of where they are or how they are. A well-informed source I know has remained tight-lipped on this case. It is “too sensitive”, they said.

One would hope that the lack of news hides serious attempts behind the scenes to extricate the crew and return them to their families.

So far, there have been no fatalities or serious injuries among the crews reported on ships targeted in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, although at least one vessel has been hit by a missile and damaged.

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Responding to the attacks, the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) has designated the southern section of the Red Sea and the strait as a High Risk Area (HRA) from last Friday (Dec 22).

While sailing through the HRA, seafarers covered by IBF agreements – and most sailing open register vessels are on such agreements – will get double their basic pay. That sounds good, but more ominously, there will be double compensation for death or disability. You do not get double pay unless there is real danger.

The IBF’s decision also means that the highest security level specified by the International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPS) must be in place on vessels entering the HRA. That is fine as far as it goes, but the ISPS does not stop missiles.

The IBF has called upon states that “have influence in the area to safeguard this globally important trade route to ensure the health and safety of the seafarers”.

Toshihito Inoue, chair of the International Mariners’ Management Association of Japan and Joint Negotiating Group’s (JNG), noted that the “social partners” that make up the IBF “have a responsibility, and JNG is confident that it has now introduced a designation which properly addresses concerns by seafarers transiting the Red Sea”.

In similar vein, the International Maritime Employers’ Council chair, Captain Belal Ahmed, said: “The Red Sea and Suez Canal is a key shipping route. As an employers’ association, it was important for us to reassure seafarers who may be at additional risk in the area that they have appropriate coverage. We will also continue to lobby governments to step up their efforts in the region.”

I am not sure how reassured I would be just by getting double pay for a few days, and the knowledge that my dependents would get more cash if I were killed by a missile slamming into my ship.

I feel that the chair of the International Transport Workers Seafarers’ Section, David Heindel, was closer to the mark when he said: “These are trying times for the industry and especially seafarers, who are simply doing their jobs. While this is a sensitive political issue, for the seafarers it’s about their health and safety. We welcome the decisions made by several companies to pause or reroute vessels to avoid the risk of attack, and we are pleased that our partners have responded positively to our request to reflect the potential risks that exist for all seafarers transiting the Red Sea at this time.”

Heindel also called for the release of the Galaxy Leader crew.

It is probably not realistic to expect all shipping to avoid the Red Sea. A voyage from the Middle East Gulf to the Eastern Mediterranean, for example, would be extended from perhaps a week to possibly three or four weeks.

Realistically, too, some crews will be prepared to take the risk for the extra money. It should be remembered that sailing though war zones is not a novelty for merchant seafarers, as the continued movement of ships to and from Ukrainian ports demonstrates.

However, I still think that if I were serving on a container ship bound from Singapore to Europe, I would prefer to look out to starboard on the Cape of Good Hope rather than the Yemeni coast.