Plight of seafarers’ living conditions highlighted

Action is needed to improve the wellbeing of seafarers who have been unable to take shore leave due to COVID-19, an expert from Cardiff University says. Recent analysis by the Seafarers' International Research Centre showed that in August last year, of 122 countries, 81 explicitly denied shore-leave to seafarers. This rose to 87 in December 2021. A new animation based on guidelines drafted by SIRC, supported by Lloyd's Register Foundation*, is launched this week in a bid to improve the experiences of seafarers. The guidelines are designed to supplement current regulatory minimum standards as laid out in the Maritime Labour Convention. Professor Helen Sampson, based at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences said: "In the course of the pandemic, seafarers have often been confined to their vessels and in many ports they have been unable to take shore leave. This has compounded the serious physical and psychological challenges they have faced as a result of being forced to stay on board for longer than their contracted period and of being restricted in their access to medical care.