A new study from The ITF Seafarers’ Trust confirms fears that seafarers’ access to shore leave is in decline since the pandemic. Where seafarers’ centres are visited, the stays are usually for less than 2 hours. People working in seafarers’ welfare corroborate the responses given by seafarers in a report published with World Maritime University earlier this year: the combination of workload on board and limited time in port are the main barriers making it virtually impossible for many seafarers to take shore leave.
‘Shore Leave and the Future of Port-Based Welfare’ presents the findings of a survey of people working in the field of port-based welfare and adds a different perspective to the results published in ‘Shore Leave: Rare, Brief and in Danger of Extinction’. Ninety-six responses were received from eighty-three organisations running services for seafarers in 25 countries. It finds a 61% decline in seafarers spending time ashore in seafarers’ centres since the start of the pandemic, with 68% reporting that most seafarers spend less than 2 hours in their centres. In addition to lack of time in port and heavy workload on board, port state and company restrictions feature as significant.
The port-based welfare community clearly share the frustrations of seafarers. Seafarers’ centres and service providers play a key role in the maritime welfare and wellbeing landscape. They provide a gateway for seafarers to access facilities, relieve pressure and connect with people and communities ashore. This report confirms the barriers to seafarers’ ability to take shore leave and their systemic and multiple causes.
<Read More>