Syed Zain Ali Shah, 32, graduated from Pakistan Marine Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Maritime Studies and Marine Engineering in 2010. Ali started his seafaring journey in 2011 and is now a Third Engineer. He is currently pursuing his Certificate of Competency (COC) class 2 and 1 combined in Singapore.
Syed Zain Ali Shah
“As seafarers, we live on the ship, it is like our working place and living place, so, it is like a home for us, and we sail through different waters and to different places around the world. In general, a ship is a workplace and a home,” Ali told Maritime Fairtrade in an interview.
The work of a marine engineer
A marine engineer “takes care of the whole mechanical and electrical systems needed to run a ship safely,” said Ali.
According to Ali, every ship has a main engine, generators, purifiers, compressors, freshwater generators and salination plants for drinking purposes, oily water separators to conform to IMO regulations, steam plant for cargo heating and auxiliary machinery like the propulsion plant and powerhouse along with the air conditioning system. The size of certain components like the boiler may differ from ship to ship based on the needs of the ship.
The chief engineer tops the hierarchy as head of the department of engineering. This position is followed by the second engineer who is the head of engine room and machinery on other parts of the ship. The third engineer, which is Ali’s current role, is in charge of the powerhouse, electricity generators, boilers/steam house and sometimes the freshwater generator.
The fourth engineer is responsible for purification, auxiliary system, compressors, pumps and all related pipelines. Along with the chief, second and third engineer, they make up the four officers onboard. Though uncommon nowadays, some ships still have trainee engineers also known as the fifth engineer. After which comes the crew, consisting of an oiler and a qualified electrician known as an electro technological officer, who is also the radio officer in charge of communication between ships and the shore side.
No work-life balance
As a third engineer, Ali starts work at midnight till 4 am in the engine room along with one oiler and two other seamen on deck. The four seafarers run the ship for the shift.
After which, Ali “hands over his watch” to the second engineer, who covers the 4 am to 8 am shift. From 8 am till 12 noon, the fourth engineer takes over the watch. The watch keeping duty is then handed over to Ali at 12 noon where he works another four-hour shift till 4 pm. Chief engineers do not report for watch duties but are on standby 24/7 in case of unexpected events.
During his rest hours, Ali would “go and sleep”.
Ali said that in the early days working on a new ship, seafarers have a “hectic routine to understand how things work on a ship” and to familiarize themselves with the operations. According to Ali, the “experienced guys” get familiarized in about 10 to 15 days. However, “to get settled (and understand) a new environment with new people takes about a month.” Time will be taken to “know how a certain person behaves, who has the expertise and who is lacking somewhere.”
Ali used the first one month to digest handovers from the previous crew to get a “whole clear picture of which machinery requires attention first and which machinery is okay and can run until the next two to three months” because they can wait as they long as they are “under operational condition”.
Ali said an engineer’s responsibility is to “bring back the whole ship and machinery to a good working condition”. As such, during this one month, seafarers will need to clock in extra hours during their break time.
One may think for the rest of his time onboard the ship, Ali is freed from his duties after his two four-hour shifts. When asked whether seafarers have work-life balance on a ship, Ali gives a firm “No”. From his experience, when problems occur, he is unable to take on a stance such that “my four hours are done, I am going to rest.”
The fact that they are in the sea, where “upside there is only God, bottom side there are sharks and we are in the middle” means that “in the open sea, you are your own help,” said Ali. As such, all crew would need to be present when an emergency arises.
From a professional perspective, Ali said that it is discouraged to “leave your work till the next day.” As the third engineer that is in charge of the powerhouse, “there is not just one, but two to three generators”, and these generators need to be ready. One is up and running, another is on standby and the last one is spare.
It is of utmost importance to keep all three in running condition as “we don’t know when we need them.” If there are collisions or major accidents and the power is not ready, it may cost lives.
Ali emphasized that “safety of life at sea (SOLAS) and marine pollution are main focuses with SOLAS being the most important. You can sacrifice the ship, you can sacrifice your cargo, but what about the people onboard?” Therefore, Ali clocked in one or two extra hours to ensure his work is finished.
“In short, I’m 24 by seven available.”
Love for the sea
Like many others, Ali said the greatest joy of working onboard a ship would be the opportunity to travel. Throughout his career, Ali has seen countless picturesque sunrises and sunsets in different countries. According to Ali, these sights were a thousand of times more breath-taking in real life as compared to postcards.
“I like to be on the sea. I like the environment,” Ali said fondly when asked about the joys of being a seafarer. Other than his love for the sea, Ali likes the fact that he gets to meet and learn from new crewmates and to experience new environments and places. Also, the pay is good. “At the end of the day, when I go back home, I have plenty of money for me and my family.”
However, Ali said that “since 2010 onwards, I don’t see a great hike in salaries as much as the workload has been increased.” He is unsure about the situation in Singapore, but he is certain that from the oil majors in the Middle Eastern side, “there is more workload and little increment. Oil trade is getting expensive, the company owners, ship owners, and charterers are earning money but when it comes to crew, operators and people on a ship, they don’t spare an extra penny.”
As a result of the stagnant wages and increased workload, Ali shared that he knows “people who want to switch to the easier side or towards the natural gas trade.” The trade of LNG and LPG consists of “newer ships that means less work” due to “less maintenance” which means “more resting hours”.
There is also the challenge of new regulations, amendments and paperwork are being pushed out all the time. There are different sets of rules and regulations set by IMO and port states that seafarers need to follow when operating certain machinery.
Ali lamented: “You cannot use this kind of fuel or that kind of fuel. In order to use that fuel, we need to have separate machinery.” This means seafarers need to constantly unlearn and relearn in order to keep up with the new updates.
Ali felt that as mariners, “we should be taught human behaviour” because while operating machines, engineers need to interact with different people. Over the course of time and experience, Ali has worked with a variety of different nationalities from Indian, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Scotland, Egypt, Syria, Ukraine and even Russia.
Ali said: “Every nationality has their pros and cons. And there is an attitude for every nationality.” As such, learning how to interact and give one another respect is extremely important when living together on a ship for a long period of time.
Calm in the storm
“Whatever you’ve seen on Google, I’ve experience it,” Ali said with a chuckle when asked about his most unforgettable experience as a seafarer.
“We were in the Indian Ocean, and we were going down towards South Africa. It was monsoon time with strong winds and rain.
“For four days, the ship was running on full propulsion but we did not move an inch due to the wind, currents and forces.”
Ali mimicked the motions like that of a roller coaster, rushing at full speed to its peak before crashing down vertically. Unlike a roller coaster that is enjoyable, the rough sea had waves that were going up to 30 metres high which lasted for three days.
“We could not sleep,” Ali said, “If I sleep on the left, one wave comes and I’m on my right side.” Ali laughed as he recalled that he rolled off the bed and landed on the floor several times. In the end, he resorted to sleeping on the floor.
“You cannot eat, whatever you eat will come out. Everybody including the chief engineer was seasick except me,” Ali said he was doing extra work of a nurse, taking care of his crew mates. “I would be like, ‘okay you go over there’, then I would hold the other guy and put him on a chair or some stretcher. I was pretty much fatigue at that time.”
To Ali, that was a “pretty difficult time” making the experience with rough seas a tale to remember.
Rising up the ranks
A trainee engineer requires nine months of sailing time in order to qualify for the COC class 5, 4 and 3 examinations. After completing the said exams, most countries would require a minimum of 12 months of sea time in order to take the COC class 2 or class 2 and 1 combined. The requirement for COC class 1 would be at least 24 to 36 months of work, depending on the country’s own policies.
According to Ali, the starting pay of a seafarer is dependent on their company, with some “paying very little” while in other cases, the “pay is good enough”. However, as one rises up the ranks, the pay could increase up to US$2,000 at a time. Eventually, when one reaches the top as a chief engineer, the pay would be US$12,000 to US$15, 000 a month on average, up to US$17,000.
The future of seafaring
“I am the first seafarer of my family, and I will be the last. My upbringing and the coming generation’s upbringing are very different,” said Ali. The coming generations are “born with a silver spoon” but not in his case.
Seafaring is definitely not for the faint of heart but for individuals with passion and perseverance. Ali said that “some guys, they don’t like the sea”, and “in the first ten days they say the sea is not for us.”
“There is a shortage of seafarers and there will always be a shortage of seafarers” Ali pointed out. The war between Ukraine and Russia has caused a great gap in the demand and supply of crew as these countries produce the most seafarers along with Philippines. With Ukrainians and Russians no longer in the market, this causes a shortage.
Ali ended off by saying that he has no regrets pursuing seafaring even though he had plenty of options during his studies. He has more exposure working as a marine engineer on a ship as compared to the typical office worker. “I love what I do, and there is peace between me and my work,” Ali commented with a proud grin on his face.
After finishing his COC class 2 and 1 combined, Ali’s company would promote him to second engineer, overall in charge of engine room. Ali said that he would be back in Singapore again next year to get his COC by 2025 to take on the role of a chief engineer.
Recognizing that cyber incidents on vessels can have a direct and detrimental impact on life, property, and the environment, IACS has steadily increased its focus on the reliability and functional effectiveness of onboard, safety-critical, computer-based systems.
IACS identified at an early stage that, for ships to be resilient against cyber incidents, all parts of the industry needed to be actively involved, and so convened a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Cyber Systems which helped identify best practices, appropriate existing standards in risk and cyber security, and a practical risk-based approach.
Building on this extensive collaboration, and utilizing the experience gained from its existing Recommendations, as well as developments at IMO including, in particular, IMO Resolution MSC.428(98) applicable to in-service vessels since the January 1, 2021, IACS has adopted two new IACS Unified Requirements (URs) on the cyber resilience of ships:
UR E26, Cyber resilience of ships, aims to ensure the secure integration of both Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) equipment into the ship’s network during the design, construction, commissioning, and operational life of the ship. This UR targets the ship as a collective entity for cyber resilience and covers five key aspects: equipment identification, protection, attack detection, response, and recovery.
UR E27, Cyber resilience of on-board systems and equipment, aims to ensure system integrity is secured and hardened by third-party equipment suppliers. This UR provides requirements for cyber resilience of onboard systems and equipment and provides additional requirements relating to the interface between users and computer-based systems onboard, as well as product design and development requirements for new devices before their implementation onboard ships.
These URs will be applied to new ships contracted for construction on and after January 1, 2024 although the information contained therein may be applied in the interim as non-mandatory guidance.
A revolution is now happening in maritime domain awareness that will have a profound impact on maritime security in the Indo-Pacific. The Quad’s Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, announced at the leaders’ summit in Tokyo in May, will combine new satellite-based technologies with existing systems to help identify illicit maritime actors. This and similar initiatives will be provide a significant boost to the ability of many Indo-Pacific countries, especially small island states, to govern their waters.
Maritime domain awareness involves gaining situational awareness of the maritime environment, especially through an understanding of the position and intention of actors in a given maritime space. It is fundamental to understanding what’s out there, what it’s doing and what should be done about it.
But achieving maritime domain awareness involves overcoming major challenges in combining data from multiple sources into a single common operating picture that can be analysed and acted on.
Over the past couple of decades, technological advances have allowed data from multiples sources such as coastal radars, ships, aircraft and satellites to be pooled and analysed on a single platform, in close to real time. This often involves sophisticated and expensive sensors and computing technology, making it accessible only to large or wealthy countries. The necessary resources and technologies are often out of reach for many countries, effectively leaving much of our oceans as ungoverned spaces for illicit or other bad actors.
Recent years have also brought a proliferation of regional information fusion centres that pool data and analysis at a regional level. This can make considerable sense for many countries, but it can also come with its own sensitivities, including for smaller countries that aspire to exercise sovereignty over their own maritime jurisdictions.
Regional maritime law enforcement agencies can also directly access several web-based information platforms. The SeaVision system, for example, provided by the US Department of Transport, is used in more than 100 countries.
All of these system rely heavily on automatic identification systems, or AISs, which are transmitters required to be installed on most commercial vessels. That’s good for keeping track of legitimate or ‘white’ shipping, but is less useful in identifying vessels engaged in illicit activities. Illegal fishers, drug smugglers and other bad actors can go ‘dark’ by switching off or hacking their AIS systems so they can’t be tracked.
This big gap in maritime governance is being plugged. Under the Quad’s initiative, an enhanced version of the SeaVision platform will be offered to Indo-Pacific partners, allowing them to identify and track dark shipping. This includes radio frequency data from the commercial Hawkeye 360 satellite system that picks up electronic emissions (such as radar, radio and satellite phone signals) from vessels under its path. The SeaVision system compares that data with AIS data to identify vessels that have switched off or spoofed their AIS systems. Dark shipping can then be targeted for further investigation using other data sources.
Other satellite-based data is being progressively added to SeaVision to help identify the types and activities of dark vessels. This includes electro-optical imagery or synthetic aperture radar data, which can be used to build a 3-D picture of targeted vessels—helping authorities identify, say, a drug smuggling dhow or a mothership. Data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, a scanning radar that detects reflected light, can help identify illegal fishers, which commonly use bright lights to attract fish at night.
Some data, particularly from commercial sources, is expensive, but prices will likely fall as providers and users proliferate. Time lags in the acquisition and dissemination of satellite-based data (which may be 12 hours or more) will also likely be reduced to give end users a closer to real-time picture.
The US Coast Guard is offering an enhanced SeaVision product to five Southeast Asian partners in the first phase of the Quad initiative, although the cost of commercially sourced satellite data currently constrains the broader rollout of the system.
Competing platforms are offered across the Indo-Pacific by other players, including the EU’s IORIS system, the UK’s SOLARTA system and the not-for-profit Skylight system. These tools can provide specific options or features. For example, the IORIS system allows users to share data bilaterally with others rather than through a common platform. The Skylight system focuses on using artificial intelligence to analyse vessel behaviour such as ‘dark rendezvous events’.
Together, these enhanced web-based systems will be a game changer for many Indo-Pacific island states and others that struggle to police huge maritime jurisdictions with few resources. Giving them direct access to satellite-based data with AI analysis effectively democratises maritime domain awareness for many users, reducing their information reliance on large countries or regional fusion centres.
While information is a fundamental requirement in the maritime domain, national enforcement agencies will also require the ability to take action against illicit actors, whether by interdicting them at sea or by conducting close surveillance that allows vessels to be specifically identified for others to interdict, prosecute or make their activities public.
The Quad initiative, once fully rolled out, will be a major tangible demonstration of the value of the Quad in providing public goods for the Indo-Pacific—in stark contrast to China’s lack of interest in helping others to police their waters.
But information by itself is not enough. It must be complemented with cost-effective capabilities such as vessels and drones that allow smaller Indo-Pacific states to take action against illicit or nefarious actors in the maritime domain. This should include expanding Australia’s successful Pacific maritime security program to additional users and platforms.
Expanding business volume, growing new orders and faster capital turnover, China’s logistics market, a closely watched herald of economic operation, is making a comeback into the boom zone after being weighed upon by the COVID-19.
The index tracking the country’s logistics market performance stood at 52.1 percent in June, climbing above the boom-bust of 50 percent for the first time after staying in the contraction zone for three months, according to the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP).
The sub-indices for business volume, new orders, capital turnover and employees all posted marked rebounds as the logistics delivery’s reach and efficiency keep improving.
Chinese authorities, led by the Ministry of Transport, have in recent months revved up efforts to address blocks in logistics to help the economy recover from the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks.
Echoing the smoother transportation network, another index that tracks the country’s warehouse sector showed that the average inventory turnover ended about a half year’s downward trend by climbing 8.4 percentage points to reach 53.9 percent in June.
Hu Han, a researcher with China Logistics Information Center, also attributed the pick-up in logistics activities to growing demands from both the industrial and consumption fronts.
Logistics of industrial goods account for about 80 percent of the total value of China’s social logistics, which in May reversed the downward trend.
The CFLP’s latest data showed that industrial goods logistics registered a 0.7-percent year-on-year growth in May, compared with shrinking 2.9 percent in April.
“It was a turning point marking the shift from fall to rise,” said CFLP’s deputy director Cai Jin. “It has sent a signal that the economy is restoring growth on its supply side.”
Consumption-related logistics also stayed active. The country’s e-commerce logistics activities further consolidated its rebound in June with a related CFLP index climbing 2.8 percentage points over May.
During the mid-year shopping festival, major Chinese e-commerce platforms secured year-on-year transaction growths, with sales jumps in cellphones, home appliances and cosmetics.
The recovery of China’s logistics sector and the economy at large is expected to sustain. A survey of the logistics firms showed that the optimism for continuous market growth rose 1.2 percentage points over the previous month, reaching a record high in four months.
Source: Xinhua
Korean Register (KR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with KLCSM and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) to jointly research and approve the application of autonomous navigation systems for mid- to large-sized vessels.
The agreement, which was signed on 23 June at this year’s Korea Ocean Expo in Incheon, Korea, will accelerate the commercialization and international competitiveness of domestic autonomous ship equipment and technology by establishing an actual ship-based autonomous operating system that is jointly developed between domestic shipping companies, shipyards and KR.
The announcement comes as an increasing number of shipowners integrate artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things, Big Data and sensor systems into their vessels in order to assist vessel crews.
According to the MOU, SHI’s autonomous navigation system, known as the Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS), will be applied to KLCSM’s fleet of operating ships to perform risk assessments, develop and certify cyber-security systems, and review the conformity of various agreements and standards for future domestic approval.
In addition, SHI will conduct a comprehensive collaboration for the commercialization of autonomous navigation systems through the certification of ship equipment and Marine Equipment Directive (MED) for Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) modules.
“KR will provide technical support for this project in order to further the development and operation autonomous navigation systems,” said YEON Kyujin, Head of Plan Approval Center at KR.
“With this latest joint cooperation, more autonomous navigation systems will be successfully applied to ships, which will further increase the efficiency of ship management,” said KWON Ohgil, Managing Director of KLCSM.
“We also expect to improve vessel safety and improve the environment of ship operations amid a current shortage of sailors.”
KIM Hyunjo, Director of the Marine Shipbuilding Research Center of SHI, said: “SHI is focusing its capabilities on the research and development for the commercialization of autonomous navigation technologies for ocean and coastal navigation, including conducting practical ship operations based on the maritime demonstration of our own SAS autonomous navigation system.”
In addition to this MOU, KR has been building up its related classification certification performance and autonomous navigation ship technology by applying its rules, cyber-security certification and risk-based approval in accordance with its ‘Guidance for Autonomous Ships’ which was published in 2019.
The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) launches digital Wellbeing at Sea Tool to support seafarer health and wellbeing. It has become increasingly clear over recent years that seafarer mental health and wellbeing needs to be made a high priority for employers. Through discussion with stakeholders, the MCA identified the requirement for a tool to support organizations understand and manage seafarer wellbeing onboard.
Poor mental health at sea is still taboo, and better support for seafarers must be embedded into the maritime industry, according to a new report funded jointly by the Department for Transport and MCA.
The report comes alongside the launch of MCA’s new digital tool designed to support seafarers’ health and wellbeing. Called the Wellbeing at Sea Tool, the new website provides practical advice for seafarers and helps organizations monitor wellbeing and support their employees.
Its launch is supported by the findings of the research which was carried out to gather the views of chaplains, charities, unions and the maritime industry as a whole.
Despite ongoing work, many of those questioned said they still felt mental health issues were poorly understood not just by employers but among seafarers themselves. Many of those questioned said that there needed to be better reporting to understand and act upon the level of suicide rates at sea, but added there were difficulties knowing for certain what the cause of death was in some cases.
Many also claimed that the subject of mental health and suicide was off-limits for some people who are unwilling to discuss it because of cultural or religious reasons.
Maritime Minister Robert Courts said: “I want the maritime sector to be an inviting one, and for it to move with the times and recognize that, while offering incredibly rewarding careers, life at sea can be incredibly lonely and stressful.
“This new report will help us to address this important issue, and with support from the MCA with its new online service, we will continue to challenge the sector to take action to ensure all seafarers are properly supported on land and at sea.”
Katy Ware, Director of UK Maritime Services said: “There is – sadly – still a stigma around mental health. The fact seafarers still don’t feel able to talk about it or access services says a lot about how far we still have to go in terms of reducing that taboo.
“This is exactly why we have launched our Wellbeing at Sea Tool. By identifying stressors and issues at an early stage, we hope that the tool will help to reduce stress among seafarers which is a contributory factor to mental health problems.”
When a seafarer uses the online tool, they are asked to take a digital survey. Once completed, the seafarer is given personalized advice on how to improve their wellbeing at sea. Data captured is anonymized and sent to managers within the company to help them better understand what the priorities are for improvement.
Singapore secured its lead as the world’s top maritime centre in the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development (ISCD) Index. This is the ninth consecutive year that Singapore is ranked first on the index.
2. The ISCD index is published by the Baltic Exchange, a global maritime data provider, in collaboration with Chinese state news agency, Xinhua. The index provides an independent ranking of the performance of 43 maritime locations on factors including cargo throughput, port facilities, maritime services and business environment. Singapore is ranked first, based on its robust port infrastructure, a comprehensive range of maritime services and supportive government policies.
3. Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport, said, “Maritime Singapore’s continued success as a leading maritime hub would not have been possible without the strong collaboration between our tripartite partners. I thank our industry and unions for their resilience during the pandemic. We will continue to innovate and grow together, and bring Maritime Singapore to greater heights.”
4. Please refer to the Xinhua-Baltic International Shipping Centre Development Index at https://balticexchange.com/en/news-and-events/news/press-releases-/2022/singapore-ranked-number-one-for-ninth-year.html, and the Annex for additional quotes from industry partners.
Photo taken on July 11, 2022 shows the launching ceremony of China Maritime Week in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province. July 11 marks the Maritime Day of China. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
Pupils visit the patrol ship “Haixun 0301” during a Maritime Day theme activity in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 11, 2022. July 11 marks the Maritime Day of China. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
Pupils learn about maritime knowledge at the exam center of the maritime safety administration of Liaoning during a Maritime Day theme activity in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 11, 2022. July 11 marks the Maritime Day of China. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
Pupils visit the patrol ship “Haixun 0301” during a Maritime Day theme activity in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 11, 2022. July 11 marks the Maritime Day of China. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
Pupils learn about maritime knowledge at the exam center of the maritime safety administration of Liaoning during a Maritime Day theme activity in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, July 11, 2022. July 11 marks the Maritime Day of China. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)
The UK government has published a 30-page report looking into one of shipping’s darkest secrets, suicides at sea, with a number of recommendations to help fix a grimly underreported scourge plaguing the industry.
Calls are growing to make recording suicides mandatory, but confidential, with the report discussing targeting so called “cowboy” states and organisations that hide cases of suicide.
Other suggestions include having a centralised database where all statistics on suicide among seafarers are retained, while another idea is for shipping companies to have a single body that provides guidance for how suicides should be recorded and what is classed as a suicide.
There hasn’t been a single agreed international framework for recording suicides at sea, which has led many to believe that suicides remain underreported
“Better data on the number of suicides – even if imperfect – can help address the prior causes of poor mental health,” states the report which was penned by Ipsos for the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
“There are a lot of cowboy flag states out there that I’m concerned about…that don’t have robust reporting in place,” one shipowner interviewed for the study said.
The variety of approaches to how flags record deaths has led to a particularly “murky picture” and contributed to the “fatalistic view of the near-impossible challenge of accurately collecting data on suicide among seafarers”, the report states.
As well as flag states not reporting suicides correctly, the report points out that crew will often be driven by an unwillingness to create further trauma for a victim’s family, especially in cases where there is religious or societal stigma associated with suicide. The issue of money from a life insurance policy being unlikely to be paid in the event of suicide was also brought up.
“Under the insurance for the ship, if someone dies onboard the family gets about $150,000 in death in service payment. If they commit suicide the family get nothing. So that has to be a factor in it as well, that seafarers circle the wagons to make sure that the family’s looked after,” one shipmanager interviewed by Ipsos said.
Participants in the survey suggested that there are significant discrepancies in how certain terms are applied in individual life insurance and P&I insurance. Addressing this perception, right or wrong, was considered one way to start addressing issues of under-reporting suicide among seafarers.
Underreporting is the plague of shipping
“Allow for suicide to be an insured risk and the data would clarify itself very quickly,” one respondent claimed.
Robert Courts, Britain’s maritime minister, commented: “Despite evidence that mental health and seafarer suicide are serious issues in maritime, the data is patchy. Historically, there hasn’t been a single agreed international framework for recording suicides at sea, which has led many to believe that suicides remain underreported.”
Speaking with Splash today, David Hammond, the CEO of the NGO Human Rights at Sea, said: “We must have a globally accepted positive reporting requirement in international maritime law at best, or regulatory policy at least, for every port, coastal and flag state to record suicides and attempted suicides for centralised collation.”
Hammond said transparency must be at the heart of this process which must include details of the flag state, vessel, owner, manager and surrounding circumstances.
“This data is usually held behind the corporate veil but it is needed in the public domain to affect law and policy change, and act as a deterrent effect,” Hammond said, adding: “Suicide or attempted suicide is a failure in crew management to look after and look out for the individual who is, or may become vulnerable, for whatever reason.”
Captain Kuba Szymanski, secretary-general of shipmanagement association InterManager and chairman of the Seafarers Hospital charity, told Splash: “Underreporting is the plague of shipping.” This was something that was reflected not just in the recording of suicides, but in other accidents such as lifeboat ones or enclosed spaces deaths, Szymanski said.
This month the MCA in the UK is launching a Wellbeing at Sea Tool that provides practical advice for seafarers and helps organisations monitor their employees’ overall wellbeing onboard. The MCA has also published two books on the matter in consultation with unions, shipowners and maritime charities.
UK Chamber of Shipping policy director Tim Springett said: “The creation of an international register of deaths at sea will not be without it challenges, not least in terms of administration. But it will be an important step in information sharing alongside the launch of the Wellbeing at Sea tool to allow everyone to help deliver better mental health at sea.”
Research by Yale University commissioned two years ago by the ITF Seafarers’ Trust found 20% of seafarers surveyed had suicidal ideation.
“While comparative data is limited, this analysis suggests that seafarers have higher rates of depression than other working populations, emphasising the need for appropriate mental health policies and management strategies in this isolated, vulnerable, and globally essential workforce,” the study stated.
British power firm Drax Group has come out in support of Mitsui OSK Lines’ (MOL) hard sail development. Drax is partnering with MOL Drybulk to ship wood pellets to Japanese biomass energy clients on a set of new ships which will feature MOL’s Wind Challenger hard sail. A first ship with the wind technology is expected to be in the water by 2025 with more to follow, likely featuring alternative fuels too.
The initiative is part of Drax’s plans to reduce its supply chain emissions and become carbon negative by 2030 using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.
Drax Group CEO Will Gardiner commented: “This partnership to advance this crucial new technology will support Drax’s commitment to reduce its own supply chain emissions and could also deliver far-reaching benefits across a number of different sectors that rely on ships to carry goods to customers around the world.”
Plans to develop the Wind Challenger hard sail started in 2009 as an industry-academia joint research project led by the University of Tokyo. MOL took charge of the plan in 2018 and has been working on the technology since. The first Wind Challenger is scheduled to be released in the second half of this year. The system converts wind energy to propulsive force with a telescopic hard sail.
The agreement with MOL Drybulk follows Drax’s previous work with the Smart Green Shipping Alliance to look at the potential of fitting sail technology on ships transporting biomass from the US to the UK.
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