A rising number of calls relating to abandonment, repatriation, severe mental health issues and experiences of abuse at sea are being made by seafarers to the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network's (ISWAN) SeafarerHelp helpline.
The risks that seafarers face daily have also had an unusually high profile in the mainstream media in 2024 − including the ongoing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea; the sinking of the Bayesian superyacht; and the aftermath of the Baltimore bridge tragedy, says ISWAN.
Data released today from SeafarerHelp, ISWAN's free, confidential, multilingual helpline for seafarers and their families around the world, show that between January and June 2024, the helpline saw increased numbers of contacts in some of the most concerning areas for seafarer welfare.
ISWAN's helpline officers provided support to 227 seafarers in 25 cases of abandonment, up by 150% from 10 cases during the first six months of 2023. Many of these seafarers had not been paid for several months and, in some cases, lacked drinking water and other essential provisions.
In some cases, the seafarers had secured employment by paying fees to fraudulent recruitment agents, highlighting the wider structural issues in the maritime sector that lead to seafarers being placed in at times dangerous working environments − issues which Nautilus has also drawn attention to, along with the International Transport Workers' Federation.
The first half of 2024 also saw a 17% increase in the number of contacts relating to mental health concerns, and a worrying rise in the number of seafarers reporting thoughts of suicide. In many of instances, worries about their family at home, financial difficulties, relationship issues or the death of a loved one, was having a detrimental impact on seafarers' mental wellbeing. Difficulties with repatriation, fears of making a mistake, or excessive work hours were also cited as factors negatively affecting seafarer wellbeing.
Experiences of abuse, bullying, harassment, discrimination or violence (ABHDV) were a further key contributor to the mental health challenges. In the first half of 2024, reports of ABHDV were up by 28% compared with the same period in 2023. These experiences included bullying by senior officers, working excessively long hours, or being denied necessary medical care, as well as discrimination on the basis of nationality or religion.
Data from ISWAN's specialist helpline for crew in the yachting industry, YachtCrewHelp, also indicated that just under a quarter of all issues raised related to contractual issues, including unfair dismissal, unpaid wages and repatriation difficulties. Nautilus addressed similar concerns about the rise in mental health issues among yacht crew and discussed potential solutions during discussions at a webinar hosted by The Seafarers' Charity on 20 March 2024. The value of Union membership for yacht crew was also demonstrated by the Union's successful recovered £1.3 million in unpaid wages and benefits for members in the superyacht sector during 2023.
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