ISWAN reports increase of seafarers asking help in 2016

Seafarers are those who bore the brunt of change, cuts and confusion amid a tough year of severe uncertainty within the maritime industry, according to a 2016 annual report from ISWAN.

The SeafarerHelp report shows how the industry was left wrestling with a number of problems, which delivered serious knock on effects for people working at sea. In the face of tough shipping markets and dogged by mental and physical health concerns, worries about pay, careers and abandonment, more seafarers than ever before have been turning to Seafarer helpline for support.

In 2016, the helpline, part of the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), saw a record number of contacts from seafarers, dealing with 3,073 new cases, involving 11,228 seafarers and their families, of 99 different nationalities making contact from 122 different countries.

Highlights

• Compared to 2015 there was a 37% increase in the number of new cases and an increase of 15% in the number of seafarers assisted.
• Female seafarers accounted for 3.8% of those who contacted SeafarerHelp, where gender was known.
• The most common reasons for seafarers contacting us were: seeking employment, wages not being paid, requesting information, problems over repatriation, health problems and contract problems.
• The contacts we received came from 122 countries, including 28 in the Commonwealth.
• Of the 99 nationalities assisted, the largest numbers of seafarers were Filipinos, followed by Indians, Ukrainians and Russians.

Nationalities assisted in 2016 / Credit: ISWAN

More specifically, the report stresses that issues of social isolation and mental health continue to be key concerns, as do welfare issues and the problems of bullying, harassment and abuse.

While issues such as mental health are receiving more attention, other issues stubbornly remain. Threats posed by piracy and robbery, as well as the abandonment of seafarers, continue to take their toll on those working at sea. The issue of owners abandoning their responsibilities and their vessels, leaving crews to sit on ships as water, food and fuel run out, was often reported by seafarers to the helpline.

Amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) now mean that insurers and flag states are involved in repatriating crews, but the problem has not gone away. On the contrary, problems are frequently reported to SeafarerHelp and the organisation is supporting crews of a number of vessels in various locations around the world.

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