Author: Nathaniel Xavier

The plight of a crew from a bulk carrier who had been denied shore leave for up to 10 months, and whose work contracts had been extended, has finally ended thanks to our Tees ship visitors.

The ship arrived at Tees Dock in Northeast England on the weekend of August 13 and 14, with 22 seafarers on board. On August 15, two Stella Maris’ ship visitors Billy Barnett and Roger Worton conducted a routine visit, taking with them welcome packs and bags of clothing for the crew. These were well-received by the men.

During the course of conversation, several crew members indicated that all was not right on board. Billy and Roger found out that some of the crew had not been allowed shore leave for up to 10 months, due to Covid risks. Their contracts had also been extended for up to 10 months.

This initial contact with the crew was followed up by a second one the day after by another two of our Tees ship visitors, Graham Sargeant and Wico van Mourik. They were not allowed to board the ship, so a senior crew member came down to meet them.

The seafarer said the crew was under huge mental and physical strain on the seafarers. He said that during the voyage to Teesport from the United States, he was only getting two hours sleep a day because he was so stressed and overworked. Communication with family back home was also limited. There was internet onboard, but it wasn’t very good, the seafarer had said.

He was also concerned that the crew were no longer able to operate the vessel safely as they were exhausted.

Worried about the crew’s physical and mental wellbeing, and their safety, the Stella Maris team contacted the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), who visited the vessel on August 17. A vessel detention notice was served that afternoon.

Following that, the seafarers were able to go ashore for the first time in many months. They spent time relaxing at the South Tees Mission Centre. More good news was to follow, as 11 of the crew were repatriated to the Philippines on August 20.

The men had been through a lot and were struggling to cope, but fortunately, our Stella Maris ship visitors were present to check on them and find out about their trouble and inform the MCA and ITF so prompt action could be taken. They visited the crew, and offered advice, reassurance and encouragement throughout their ordeal. They also supplied SIM cards, clothing and chocolate, all of which they were grateful for.

A group of 32 Thai fishing crew who were abandoned while working in Somalia, are to receive almost Baht 10 million (US$255,000) in compensation, after winning a legal case against their employer.

Last month, Thailand’s Central Labour Court ruled that the compensation would cover the men’s unpaid wages and holiday pay.

The fishermen, who are all back home in Thailand, were supported by global maritime network Stella Maris and other agencies through their ordeal, and throughout the legal process.

In June 2019, while working in Somalia, the desperate crew sent a social media message pleading for help. They were all crew members of the Wadani 1 fishing vessel.

Despite having been employed to work first in Iran and then in Somalia, some for up to a year, they were never paid their full wages. Food supplies were also running dangerously low on the vessel, and they needed more fishing equipment.

Stella Maris Thailand Seafarers Centre Director and port chaplain Apinya Tajit saw the message and contacted the men.

“They were wary at first, but I was able to gain their trust. They were in a terrible situation and had been left stranded,” Ms. Tajit said.

She contacted Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai Embassy that looks after Somalia and requested their assistance in helping to repatriate the crew, and for their flight costs to be covered.

The Embassy negotiated with authorities in Somalia and the vessel’s owners to send the men back home. All of them returned to Thailand by the end of August 2019.

Ms. Tajit and her colleague, Ms. Nattaya Phetcharat, Manager of Stella Maris Songkla Port then helped the men to initiate legal proceedings for human trafficking and to recover the crew’s unpaid wages.

Despite hitting several hurdles along the way, they persevered and travelled around Thailand to interview and record evidence from the men.

“We’re grateful to The Freedom Fund who provided funds to cover the legal expenses and to Sr Law who acted as lawyers for the fishermen. We were also assisted by the Human Rights and Development Foundation and the Environmental Justice Foundation,” said Ms. Tajit.

“We’re delighted that the men have won their case. Stella Maris is still in contact with them and continues to provide pastoral and emotional support to them and their families,” she said.

Stella Maris has backed an urgent call from the Vatican for all seafarers to be granted shore leave immediately.

In a message ahead of Sea Sunday on 10th July, the Vatican said that some governments and some shipping companies must no longer use the pandemic “as an excuse” for banning the crew from going ashore.

Many seafarers are still being denied shore leave now even though they have been fully vaccinated, the Vatican said.

“As long as they take the necessary precautions, seafarers have the right to put their feet on dry ground and meet people other than their colleagues on board,” said Cardinal Michael F. Czerny SJ, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

He said, as the situation continues to improve around the world with Covid-19, countries are opening their borders and lifting restrictions, with most people now able to move freely again.

“But not seafarers. This is a gross injustice. To add insult to injury, some seafarers are allowed to go ashore if they are the ‘correct’ nationality,” said Cardinal Czerny.

“This discrimination is as unjust as it is immoral. Everyone needs to remember that seafarers’ innate dignity as human beings must be respected,” he said, adding that all seafarers must be treated equally, without any discrimination, and be allowed to leave their ships, even if for a brief time, wherever they were in the world.

Endorsing the Vatican’s call, Stella Maris UK Chief Executive Officer Martin Foley said that seafarers are entitled to shore leave, as laid out by the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.

“We are living in the midst of a pandemic, and some ship captains are reluctant to grant shore leave.to their crew. In Stella Maris UK’s experience, what frustrates our chaplains and ship visitors is the inconsistency with which leave is allowed or not. We have come across ships in which officers are granted shore leave, yet ratings are not.

“Shore leave is so important to the psychological wellbeing of seafarers. Stella Maris UK is collating instances of seafarers being denied shore leave so we can bring these to those who have the authority to investigate it,” said Martin.

See the full message from Vatican below.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, beloved chaplains, volunteers, friends and supporters of Stella Maris:

On the second Sunday in July every year Christian communities celebrate Sea Sunday. Today we call to mind the essential work of more than a million seafarers who work on ships transporting goods around the world every day of the year. Those who live inland rarely see ships or the seafarers who work on them. Even those who live on the coast usually only see a ship ‘out there’ on the horizon. No-one can see the thousands of ships sailing over the horizon. They are invisible. But they are there. And so are the seafarers who work on board, not only keeping the world economy moving but also directly impacting upon the daily life of every one of us. Day in, day out, they provide the goods we use and consume, and without them the quality our lives would be considerably poorer. To understand how essential they are, we need only bring to mind the possessions in our homes and workplaces, and the food on our tables. Let us ask, ‘Where does it come from?’ It is seafarers who enable us to enjoy what we have. And we must remember that seafarers work every day of the week, every week of their contract, to provide everything we have. How much we want to say, ‘Thank you!’

Now is the time to try and imagine seafarers’ life and the daily challenges they endure for us. Over recent years the maritime world has been hit by a series of crises. Increased demand for goods has led to more ships being held at anchorage for longer periods of time. The war in Ukraine means that ships now face the impossible task of navigating through the mines in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Many vessels have been sunk and human lives have been lost during this unjust and immoral war. The global pandemic meant that over 400,000 seafarers have been stuck on board, unable to leave the ship at the end of their contracts and return home to their families. Instead, they continue to work every day becoming increasingly exhausted. Replacement crews have been unable to join ships which has spelled economic disaster for some because they have been unable to provide for the daily needs of their loved ones. In every case, seafarers have no choice.

Some shipping companies appear to be the only ones who have profited financially from the series of crises which have disrupted the global supply chain. It is regrettable, to say the least, that companies have only shared a tiny fraction of the exorbitant revenue they have enjoyed with seafarers or spent on improving welfare facilities in ports for the short period of time they are alongside.

Companies may receive the money, but it is seafarers and their families who pay the price. It comes as no surprise that enforced extended contracts result in physical and psychological exhaustion which can lead to human error with dangerous consequences. Longer periods on board, enforced separation from their loved ones, and not being allowed to go ashore has led to seafarers feeling even more isolated and depressed than normal. We must remember that they, too, are human beings. They have the same needs as everyone else. The difference is that, being ‘invisible’, they are easily ignored.

But we must not ignore them because we rely on them. We need them. Safe navigation, security and protection of the marine environment rely on seafarers enjoying good mental health. The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) requires companies to provide decent and clean accommodation, nourishing food, a safe working environment, proper hours of work and shore leave. Sadly, the significant gains made since MLC came into force in 2013 have been seriously undermined. Let us take the issue of shore leave. The ability to leave the vessel and go ashore, if only for a short time, is crucial for seafarers’ wellbeing. Most of us take for granted the freedom we have to go outside, enjoy open spaces, place our feet on firm ground or soft grass and see different people. But seafarers have no such freedom. They cannot leave the ship, and every day they walk on metal floors and see the same faces. The only way they can share in the freedom we enjoy is to have access to shore leave. They may only have a couple of hours but that can make all the difference.

At the height of the pandemic and before the vaccination campaign for seafarers began, governments and companies understandably cancelled all shore leave. Seafarers were required to stay on board to avoid infection and spreading the virus. But as the situation continues to improve around the world, countries are opening their borders and lifting restrictions. Most people are now able to move freely again. But not seafarers. And this is a gross injustice. Even though they are fully vaccinated, seafarers are frequently denied the free movement we enjoy. Why? Because several governments and shipping companies still refuse to allow seafarers to go ashore. To add insult to injury, some seafarers are allowed to go ashore if they are the ‘correct nationality ’.

This discrimination is as unjust as it is immoral. Everyone needs to remember that seafarers’ innate dignity as human beings must be respected. They must be treated equally, without any discrimination, and afforded the same opportunity to leave the narrow confines of the vessel and go ashore, if only for a brief time, to unwind and relax, wherever they are in the world.

The pandemic must no longer be used as an excuse for banning the crew from going ashore. As long as they take the necessary precautions, seafarers have the right to put their feet on dry ground and meet people other than their colleagues on board. Chaplains and volunteers of Stella Maris make an urgent appeal to governments and shipping companies around the world to ensure that seafarers have the right to go ashore!

Today, on this Sea Sunday, we thank seafarers for their hard work. We pray that they remain strong in the face of difficulties and challenges in life. And we entrust to Mary, Star of the Sea, the commitment and dedication of the chaplains and volunteers around the world who serve them.

Cardinal Michael F. Czerny SJ who is Prefect for the Dicastery For Promoting Integral Human Development.

* Visit our Sea Sunday page for resources, more information and our Sea Sunday appeal video.