The GLOBAL Maritime Forum (GMF) has highlighted a new report regarding seafarer wellbeing which has found the global maritime industry must improve working conditions and welfare for seafarers to attract the next generation of workers.
The international organisation published its findings from the report by Diversity@Sea, a GMF initiative, entitled Improving Seafarer Well-being: Preliminary findings from the Diversity@Sea pilot project.
The findings identified areas such as addressing abuse and harassment, enhancing work-life balance, and upgrading onboard facilities as critical to the future of the maritime industry and protecting the future of global trade.
The report’s conclusions were gathered from a ten-month collaboration involving 400 seafarers and 12 major shipping companies, gathering a reported 50,000 points of data.
The GMF said there is increasing concern surrounding the welfare and working conditions of the currently 1.9 million seafarers worldwide, who are essential to trade and therefore economies, but face significant challenges and hardships, both externally and from the companies they are employed by.
Recent geopolitical events have posed additional challenges for those working at sea; COVID-19, which saw thousands of seafarers at sea for months beyond their contractual obligaitons, directly preceded the ongoing situation in the Red Sea, as the Houthi militant group continues to attack vessels, injuring and killing seafarers.
Susanne Justesen, director of human sustainability at the GMF said improving the working conditions of seafarers globally is no longer just a question of human well-being.
“As critical as that is, improving the well-being of the 1.9 million seafarers globally is now critical to avoiding existential threats to the smooth operation of global trade we rely on every day,” she said.
“Our report seeks to offer a roadmap for change. By working with seafarers to identify the areas for positive change, we will not only begin to address the challenges we face today, but also anticipate the future needs of the maritime labour market.”
As pressure mounts on global supply chains, poor work conditions pose long-term risks to global trade, with seafarer labour shortages reaching a 17-year high, the GMF says, further stating some banks have indicated they could curb lending for shipowners who put seafarers’ welfare at risk.
The report’s findings have identified seven critical areas for meaningful change across the industry, including but not limited to; zero tolerance for abuse and harassment, Improved contracts, inclusive personal protective equipment, and transparent training and appraisal systems to promote fairness and improved career progression at sea.
