This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons License. Read the original article.

The suspected hijacking of the oil tanker Nave Andromeda off the coast of the Isle of Wight has captivated the UK press. While the heroic efforts of members of the Special Boat Service in resolving the situation have been highlighted, little public attention has been paid to the seafarers working onboard the tanker who were caught up in the incident.

At around 10am on October 25 the captain of the Nave Andromeda set off a security alert reporting that seven stowaways onboard had turned violent and were threatening the crew after the crew attempted to detain the stowaways in a cabin. The vessel was several miles off the coast of the Isle of Wight, and was scheduled to berth in Southampton.

The 22-person crew secured themselves in the citadel, a small room in the interior of the ship which is designated as a place in which to take shelter in the event of a security incident. It is understood that the crew remained sheltered in the citadel, a single room with no windows, for approximately ten hours.

They were able to safely exit when UK special forces boarded the vessel and detained the stowaways. This must have been a very traumatic experience for all of the seafarers. They were effectively held hostage on their own vessel, a space in which they not only work but live for months at a time.

Almost immediately after their ordeal, the crew proceeded to berth the ship in Southampton in the early hours of October 26. The arrival in port will have required most of the crew to have been working – people who had spent the previous night at work and the following day being held hostage in a crowded room.

Even without such an incident, seafarers work long hours: my research indicates on average ten hours each and every day that they are onboard. Stints onboard last an average of between three and six months. It is therefore hardly surprising that seafarers are known to experience substantial fatigue.

My own experience as a seafarer and my research into the industry tells me that seafarers such as those on the Nave Andromeda often have to continue working immediately following a traumatic event. Even after being held captive for a prolonged period of time seafarers would be expected to follow instructions to sail the ship to a safe port. It is hard to think of another occupation in which a worker could be held hostage and then immediately resume work without any sort of break or time to rest and recuperate.

While some companies have reported that they would try to replace traumatised crew members, this cannot be done until the vessel reaches port. If, for example, a fatal accident occurs in the middle of the ocean, this may be several weeks away. And even once a vessel has reached port following a traumatic event it is not unusual for seafarers to remain onboard the ship for the duration of their employment contract. For example, when the M/V Boularibank was attacked by pirates, the crew carried on working as usual.

I have myself experienced a traumatic incident onboard while working as crew on a product tanker. All I received following the incident was an email from the shipping company addressed to the crew asking anyone who required psychological support to contact them – otherwise it was business as usual. Perhaps a better approach would have been a confidential phone call from a trained individual with each crew member onboard, making it clear that it was OK to say that some support was needed.

Because although I was offered support from my employer, shore-based charities often have to step in because seafarers are reluctant to identify themselves to their employer as needing support. My research indicates that given the temporary nature of their employment, this reluctance to draw attention to themselves is due to the fear of being unable to secure future employment.

This situation is particularly concerning given that seafarers are known to experience relatively high rates of mental ill health, including depression and suicide ideation. It is possible that some of those onboard may go on to experience PTSD, in a similar vein to those seafarers who have experienced piracy attacks.

It is also possible that some of the crew, particularly the captain, may be concerned that they will be blamed for the stowaways accessing the vessel. Research indicates that captains feel that they are considered to be responsible for any stowaways who manage to hide away on their vessel. Although security measures in ports tend to be very high in some parts of the world, in others, local measures are inadequate. From my own experience as a seafarer I know firsthand how difficult it can be for ships crews to prevent stowaways from boarding.

Clearly these 22 crew members have experienced a traumatic event. It should be remembered that they are all key workers. As an island nation 95% of all UK imports and exports come by sea. Without seafarers such as those working onboard the Nave Andromeda, the UK would come to a standstill. Whilst acknowledging the heroic efforts of members of the UK Special Forces it would be remiss not to also acknowledged the heroic efforts of the 22 seafarers working onboard.

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by Dr. Helen Devereux, Researcher in Seafarer health and safety, Solent Unviersity. Originally published May 4 in The Conversation.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, there was much attention on the plight of cruise tourists. Governments around the world closed their ports to cruise ships and refused to allow passengers to disembark. While all cruise passengers are now ashore, those who work on cruise ships are not, with an estimated 100,000 cruise ship workers currently stranded.

The same is true of workers on cargo ships. There are an estimated 1.6 million seafarers working onboard various types of ships. These men and women are responsible for transporting 90% of the world’s trade. From the food that we eat to the clothes that we wear, pretty much everything we own was transported by a seafarer.

These workers live and work onboard for months at a time, driving the ship, maintaining its machinery and loading and discharging cargo at ports around the world. With an average crew size of just 23 people, seafarers are used to social isolation.

On the surface, all seems well: goods are still flowing. But the men and women who are transporting these goods are struggling. In a normal month, approximately 100,000 seafarers leave their ships and are replaced by others, but these crew changes have been cancelled. Over a month ago, Maersk, the world’s largest container line, suspended all crew changes and then recently announced a further extension to the crew change suspension. Other shipping lines have also suspended crew changes. It is estimated that 150,000 seafarers are currently waiting to go home.

And for every day that passes, even more seafarers are finishing their expected tour of duty but remain stranded. Seafarers onboard cargo ships are now, in effect, prisoners unable to leave the ship, even to go ashore and use basic facilities, such as the internet, that most of us take for granted.

Stranded

I’m in contact with some of these men and women. Andy, a captain onboard a ship with 13 crew, has told me that as of April 24 over three-quarters of the crew are still onboard, despite finishing their tour of duty. He said: “The worst part is the not knowing, having nothing to work towards mentally.” It’s hard to understand a situation whereby you go to work only to be told you can’t go home and no one has any idea of when you’ll be able to.

Stranded seafarers are missing key events at home, such as the birth of children. Their partners and families are left to cope in the pandemic without them, with no idea when they will return home. My own research indicates that even in normal times, the delayed return of a seafarer can be particularly tough on their families, especially those with young children, with many workers eagerly counting down the days.

Nearly half of Andy’s crew left home in November, long before any mention of COVID-19. He told me: “It’s becoming more and more difficult to maintain morale and I’m worried that our minds are all increasingly focused on other matters and because of this one of us might do something unsafe.”

Andy is right to worry. This is a dangerous industry, with seafarers 21 times more likely to be killed in a work-related accident than workers ashore. In addition to their “minds no longer being on the job”, those onboard are also likely to be suffering from fatigue, owing to the fact they are likely working ten hours a day seven days a week.

Concerns for safety

My research indicates that remaining onboard beyond the expected end of a tour poses a risk for safety. One senior officer told me about a time when he had been waiting, with his suitcase, for a helicopter to leave the vessel when he learned that the worker coming to relieve him was no longer coming. He had to remain onboard for five more days. During this time, he reported being unable to focus on the job and thinking only about being at home. He readily acknowledged that during this time he was a risk to both himself and the ship.

As well as posing an issue for safety, remaining onboard beyond the expected end of a tour of duty has an adverse impact on seafarers’ wellbeing, which was again apparent in my study. Seafarers struggled to remain positive when they didn’t go home, with one explaining to me that going home on the expected date was hugely important and that he’d seen colleagues get very upset when they weren’t relieved on time. The adverse impact on wellbeing is particularly concerning given that a study last year found seafarers to have relatively high rates of depression and thoughts of suicide.

Given concerns for both their safety and wellbeing, it is vital that governments around the world work together to get those seafarers who have finished their tour of duty home. And when they do, we should all thank these hidden keyworkers for their sacrifices.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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