Seafarer welfare must be top priority as war engulfs Ukraine
THE war now raging in Eastern Europe has already had a massive impact on the global shipping industry. As I write this, 2 ships have been lost to hostile action off Ukraine's coast and 1 seafarer killed.
Shipping markets have been severely disrupted while commodity markets are in turmoil and the Russian-owned fleet has effectively been banned from trading in much of the world. However, this column will focus on the seafarers who will be greatly affected by this conflict. They should be the first priority.
It has been widely quoted that 14.5 per cent of the world's seafarers are Ukrainian or Russian. In other words, many of those manning the global commercial fleet, and often complete crews, are either going worried sick about what is going on at home or find themselves stuck on ships hit by embargoes. Moreover, the UK-based welfare organisation Sailors' Society says as many as 1 in 5 officers are thought to be Ukrainian. It points out many crews will find themselves serving under officers concerned about their homeland and families.
No doubt all the major seafarer-supporting organisations will be putting measures in to support seafarers from both countries. The Sailors' Society says it has created 3 bespoke Peer-to-Peer Support Groups for seafarers affected by the conflict in Ukraine. These WhatsApp groups build on what the organisations says it the proven success of its existing Peer-to-Peer Support Groups run as part of its Wellness at Sea programme.
The work of charities will be important but the primary responsibility for supporting seafarers lies with their employers. Shipmanagers' body InterManager held an emergency meeting last week.
In a subsequent statement it said: "Shipping needs to focus on its international nature and pull together at this difficult time".
While Ukrainian and Russian seafarers are currently behaving professionally and working harmoniously together onboard ships, many accepting the need to work beyond their contracted hours due to crew-change difficulties, the meeting heard predictions that this may change over the coming days and weeks.
David Furnival, BSM chief operating officer; Henrik Jensen, managing director of Danica Crewing Specialists; and other ship and crew managers reported that currently seafarers were operating with "calm professionalism". They advised they had received very few reports of any onboard conflicts.
However, others at the 60 plus meeting of ship and crew managers were concerned that "feelings are running high" and warned that "goodwill on ships" may start to deteriorate when seafarers' families are further impacted by the hostilities in Ukraine.
InterManager president Mark O'Neil called for shipping leaders to step up and support all seafarers, regardless of their nationality. "We are an international business with an international perspective and we need to remain international at this challenging time," he urged.
Depository of information
Mr O'Neil, CEO of Columbia Shipmanagement, encouraged InterManager members and other ship and crew managers to work together to share resources and information in order to help crew, at sea or at home, and their families.
He proposed InterManager will be a "depository of information" on everything from sanctions impacts, crew payments, welfare support and crew-change routes, suggesting smaller firms could benefit from the greater means of their larger counterparts in order to speed up help for seafarers. "Don't struggle individually to find help or reinvent the wheel when we can work together," he advised.
Communications are likely to be important in supporting crews. InterManager said that ship operators are increasing Internet access for crew to enable them to stay in touch with family and friends and read reliable news sources to find out the latest situation. Mr O'Neil commented: "They are desperate for information."
Many Ukrainian seafarers come from port areas in the south of the country such as Kherson and Mykolaiv which have come under fire from Russian forces in recent days. Hamburg-based Jensen told the meeting that he was holding a virtual meeting with his office staff in Odessa when an air-raid siren went off and they had to run for cover. "It is a really serious situation," he added to his InterManager colleagues.
This latest crisis, of course, follows on from the Covid-19 pandemic which has hit seafarers hard. While the situation has improved, the industry is still struggling to have seafarers really treated as key workers and crew changes can still be difficult and delayed. The new, unfolding situation is bound to make existing problems worse.
As a result the International Maritime Organization (IMO) plans to hold a remote Extraordinary Session of its Council over the next 2 days to address the impact on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The IMO Council consists of 40 member states, elected by the IMO Assembly.
The priority must be to ensure that seafarers do not suffer as result of actions over which they have no control.
