The world is by and large living in a post-covid environment with life back to normal. Not at sea, however, where some restrictions remain in place.
There are still a few seafarers working beyond their contracts, and the odd covid flare-up, such as in China at the start of the year, has some port states instituting quick crew change restrictions.
Likewise, the partner and child procedure onboard has not fully reverted to pre-pandemic times.
Before 2020, many shipping companies allowed certain ranks to be accompanied by their partners, while a master and chief engineer could also being a child with them. This policy came to a halt with covid.
A survey among members of Intermanager, the association for third party shipmanagers, shows 37% of the membership have yet to allow partners and children back onboard.
Seafarers endured incredible strains during the pandemic, working far longer than stipulated, and often in very strict conditions.
A joint action group created by four United Nations agencies including the International Maritime Organization (IMO) together with employer and worker bodies issued a series of recommendations last month to better protect transport workers from the impact of future health crises.
The recommendations set out steps to protect transport workers, including improving how UN bodies and agencies and sectoral organisations can quickly and efficiently share information and coordinate actions during public health emergencies. They also call on governments to take concrete actions to protect the rights of transport workers during future public health emergencies of international concern, as well as with the continued impact of the covid pandemic.
“The covid-19 pandemic has presented the transport sector with considerable and, at times, unbearable challenges, threatening the sectors’ sustainability, as well as the lives and livelihoods of its workers. We need to make sure that we are better prepared for future emergencies,” commented Gilbert Houngbo, director-general of the International Labour Organization.
Many companies have yet to revert to the pre-COVID shore leave, despite it being a breach of ILO and ITF. Adding up the months spent onboard with no opportunity to refresh mentally a few hours onshore is a mental wellbeing not to be neglected.
At present many companies deny shore leave or limit it extensively and leave it to the master’s discretion, who usually does not grant it in fear of commercial and operational repercussions.
As a countermeasure, shorter contracts would compensate in some manner for the lack of shore leave but there seems to be no improvement in the crew-change situation. Many seafarers are usually kept over their contract by 1 to 3 months for officers and as much as 5 for ratings. Companies are citing local regulations (pandemic related or not), lack of relievers, expensive flight arrangements or hide behind “owner’s requirements” or “charterer instructions”. Usually this adds up to at least 1/3 crew changes not being carried out on a yearly basis.
The cost saving implication is well known and a KPI for on-time relief can be easily fudged with contract extensions signed by seafarers who are in the middle of the ocean with no perspective on being relieved.
COVID crew-change and shore leave restrictions will just add up to the pre-existing ones and become a permanent situation, same like after September 11.
“The world is by and large living in a post-covid environment with life back to normal.”
Not according to the actual data
https://covid19.who.int/measures
“The world is by and large living in a post-covid environment with life back to normal” Not according to the WHO data which you refuse to publish for some reason.