There are possibly some signs of improvement in the
challenges seafarers have encountered due to the pandemic. Unions, shipping
lines, and major shipping organizations have complained for more than a year of
a crew crisis as seafarers were unable to travel to and from their ships
finding themselves unable to go home or reach their ships to relieve crews that
had been at sea beyond their contracts.
The latest monthly update of the Neptune Declaration Crew
Change Indicator, which is assembled from data supplied by the major ship
managers, shows the first month of stabilization. Launched in May, the
indicator tracks both crew nearing the end of their contracts as well as crew
overdue for leave. In August, both numbers stabilized and show slight declines
after monthly increases since the indicator was launched. Travel restrictions,
flight cancellations, and domestic lockdowns continue to create problems for
seafarers, but the organizer said there “could be a light at the end of the
tunnel.”
“The September Indicator confirms the tendency from August
that the situation may be stabilizing,” reported the Global Maritime Forum, an
international not-for-profit organization that oversees the reporting. After
more than one-and-a-half percentage point increases in both the June and July
reports, the indicator shows a tenth of a percentage point decline for the
number of seafarers aboard ships beyond the expiration of their contracts.
There was a similar decline in the number of seafarers nearing the end of their
contracts.
Ship managers report for the first time that they are facing
a shortage of seafarers and cite travel restrictions for Indian seafarers and
the European summer holiday period as causes. Still, governments and ports are
placing stricter crew change requirements which have resulted in the
cancellation of crew changes.
The September Indicator also reports a strong increase in
the number of seafarers receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. According to the
Global Maritime Forum, the new numbers suggest that programs set up to offer
vaccines to international seafarers, especially in the U.S. and some European
countries, are starting to produce results. While vaccination rates still age
global average, more than one-in-five seafarers are now vaccinated up from one-on-seven
a month earlier.
“It is very encouraging to see that the number of seafarers
who have been vaccinated has increased by 6.6 percentage points in the last
month,” says Kasper Søgaard, Managing Director, Head of Institutional Strategy
and Development, Global Maritime Forum. “But there is room for improvement.
Vaccination rates remain behind large shipping nations in Europe, North
America, and Asia where more than 50 percent of the population is fully
vaccinated.”
Despite the progress in seafarer vaccinations, ship managers
highlighted that there continues to be limited access to Covid-19 vaccines for
seafarers due to supply issues. Furthermore, ensuring access to the second dose
of the vaccine remains a challenge and, in many cases, there is a significant
gap between the two doses for seafarers. Ship managers also report reluctance
by some seafarers to get vaccinated.
More countries however continue to join those offering
vaccinations. Earlier this week, Singapore announced it would begin vaccinating
foreign seafarers who are staying in the country for a month or longer as part
of their work. Similarly, the Australian state of Queensland has become the
first in the country to begin offering vaccinations to foreign crews during
their port calls.
While many countries have yet to recognize seafarers as key
workers, the organizers of the report are optimistic that progress might be
happening to protect the welfare and rights of seafarers.