The Mission to Seafarers has published the Seafarers Happiness Index report for 2021, designed to monitor seafarer satisfaction levels, showing that the Index’s measure of overall happiness decreased from 6.59 to 6.41.
The survey, undertaken with the support of Wallem Group and the Standard Club, highlights that seafarer happiness rise and fall throughout the year, reflecting the rising waves of Covid-19 infections.
In particular, where there has been an opening up of economies and international movement, seafarer sentiment has improved. Accordingly, in times of rising infections and movement bans, the seafarer happiness rates have fallen.
At the start of the year, there was a slight upward trajectory from the data, as seen below. During this period, there was an optimism that Covid-19 disruptions would end in 2020 and that issues like seafarer vaccination, shore leave and freedom of movement could be sorted.
While crews were still caught up on Covid-19 impacts and vaccine concerns, the happiness levels were rising. However, concerns over limited freedom of movement, a shortage of vaccinations, and a perception that the profits of shipping companies are not being fed back into the workforce who keep seaborne trade going, led to the downward trend of the happiness index.
“This latest Seafarers Happiness Index report reveals the long-term impact of the pandemic on our global seafarers. With different variants emerging, new waves of infections and fluctuations between freedom and lockdown, seafarers are dealing with constant uncertainty,” stated Andrew Wright, secretary-general of The Mission to Seafarers.
Meanwhile, relationships onboard have been strained and there has been an increasing number of seafarers talking of bullying, harassment, and tension on their ships, while there were also reports about xenophobia and even racism.
In addition, many seafarers have reported plans for a career change, warning that a shortage of replacement crews and a drain of seafarers away from the industry will be imminent.
“Looking at the results of 2021 as a whole, we hope this report will encourage organisations to recognise the lessons for 2022, when it comes to investing in their seafarers, whether it is continuing to improve connectivity, adjusting working hours, or enhancing training,” noted Wright.
