The statement that 90 per cent of global trade by volumes moves by sea is an oft repeated statistic, and now has begun to sound hollow, despite being truthful! That there needs to be an international convention in the 21st century (MLC 2006) spelling out the rights of the professionals who moved an astounding 12.3 billion tonnes of cargo across the oceans in 2023, as per report from UNCTAD, is in itself an admission of neglect and human rights violations, in a structured and institutionalized manner, on a mass scale.
As the world progresses at a rapid pace, with disruptive technology to the fore, the stress levels across the human race have increased. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 2nd March 2022. The reasons for such an increase are, obviously, multifold. For the seafarers, the added challenge was uncertainty in movement from place of work (i.e the ship) to his home and vice versa, due to immense restrictions placed on such activity. Despite the IMO, ICAO and other international bodies flagging up the issue with fervent appeals, the ground reality did not change much.
But now, COVID is a distant memory, and the world has stabilised into ‘normal’ mode- the Houthis attack innocent ships in Red Sea, the attacks on merchant ships passing though Singapore Straits continues with predictable regularity, the piracy in West Africa, is business as usual. In all this, the movement of seafarers to and from their place of work, the facility or permission for seafarers to spend a few hours ashore whilst their ships are in port- still largely remains elusive.
The oft quoted ‘rule’ for this apathy is the dreaded ‘security’! This is unfortunately, as hollow an excuse as a dried up well in Sahara. The ship can come into port from across the oceans, the cargo can come without hindrance, the port workers can go in and out without a problem, ship services can be provided in a structured manner, and the only security threat in this entire chain is the seafarer, who has all the necessary documents to prove his profession? So no Shore Leave? Millions of passengers pass through our airports and are welcomed with open arms, but a miniscule number of seafarers are a threat?
Further, the International Ship and Port Facility security Code, the ‘holy book’ driving security in the global maritime supply chain, is part of SOLAS, and thus the intent is to PROTECT the seafarer (as well as the asset), and NOT treat him as the security threat!
The Maritime Labour Convention explicitly places an obligation on the member state to permit ‘crew change’ and shore leave for the seafarers serving on ships visiting their ports. Infact, the proposed amendments to the MLC 2006 strengthen these requirements, having identified that shore leave is vital for personal wellbeing of seafarers!
India is a key resource for providing maritime workforce to the world. Unless we nurture the pool, support it, treat it with the professional courtesy it deserves, we may miss the bus. The present geo political climate could be conducive to such thought process, and needs to be capitalized on.
The Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 has 11 key themes. Most of them are driven by ‘soft power’. If we want to make our vision a reality, management of the maritime workforce is the key!
Marex Media