Fears of increased piracy and the threat of war are contributing to a continued decline in seafarer satisfaction. According to the latest update to the quarterly Welfare Survey. The charity Mission to Seafarers is monitoring the investigation. Said the findings “raise serious concerns about the situation of all people working at sea.”
They note that this is her fourth consecutive quarter of declining seafarer satisfaction. The survey measures seafarers’ well-being using ten key questions about seafarers’ work. And also life and gauges their feelings about their experience on board. The latest report for Q4 2023 shows that overall seafarer satisfaction has fallen to 6.36 out of 10. Continuing a consistent pattern from 7.1 in the first quarter to 6.77 and 6.Six in the next two quarters. And is expected to decline further, as announced by the organizers. He describes this year as an “important year.
“It is extremely disappointing to see seafarer satisfaction levels trending downward throughout 2023. Following an increase in seafarer satisfaction levels at the end of 2022 following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.” Said Andrew, Seafarers Mission Secretary-General. Pastor Wright Church commented. “Seafarers are often the first and hardest to feel the world’s crises,” he said. Noting that the current growing threats of piracy and war mean unsustainable workloads, insufficient shore leave, and limited seafaring.
It added that concerns such as lost time, financial concerns, and “stress due to the growing number of international seafarers” were ongoing threats. Escalating conflicts and tensions have inevitably led to a level of fear and anxiety for those at sea,” said Yves Vanden, head of Asia Pacific loss prevention at North Standard, one of the study’s sponsors. Mr. Bourne said. “The maritime industry, with its global workforce, needs to recognize how easily changes in international relations can affect seafarers’ well-being.”
The current decline, they reported, is due to the lack of maritime law. This is due to a decline in emotions in most areas of life covered. An investigation is underway. They said there are various reasons for the trend of declining seafarers. However, seafarers who participated in the survey frequently expressed concerns about feeling overworked, undervalued, and isolated, as well as worries about not being able to take shore leave or contact their families. Fiscal concerns are expressed through comments about wage stagnation.
Tom Herbert, senior marine surveyor and crew welfare advocate for Idwar, another sponsor of the survey, called the latest results “disappointing.” He commented: “After the world emerges from the pandemic and shows clear improvement in 2022, we see a continued negative trend in 2023.” We see an improvement in results.
The only area covered was shown to be related to in-vehicle connectivity. Shipping companies’ investments in satellite links and other forms of communication are having an impact, but seafarers also cited inconsistencies in ship connectivity. The Mission for Seafarers highlights issues that shipping companies could potentially address, such as a lack of social interaction and a growing sense of isolation among seafarers. They look for efforts to build a sense of cohesion and team spirit. The organization continues to work with shipping companies to address issues that continue to impact the welfare of seafarers. They provide direct support to seafarers through ship visits and also have digital solutions to address several issues.
