And that “happiness” survey shows: Seafarers not so happy
Written by Nick Blenkey
With a serious seafarer shortage looming worldwide, it’s not good news for recruitment that the latest Seafarers Happiness Index, published this week by the Mission to Seafarers, shows, for the fourth successive quarter, a further drop in seafarer happiness for the fourth quarter of 2023, raising serious concerns over conditions for all those working at sea.
Based on a survey undertaken with the support of the Standard Club and Idwal, the new report shows an overall fall in seafarer happiness to 6.36 out of 10. This compares to 6.6 in Q3, 6.77 in Q2 and 7.1 in Q1 2023, and represents a considerable decline over the course of the year. While this is an improvement on the eight year low of 5.85 reported in April 2022, this is fourth successive quarter to show a decline in seafarer happiness. The Q4 2023 survey results show a wide range of reasons for this worrying trend, but common causes for concern expressed by seafarers taking part in the survey include feeling overburdened, underappreciated and disconnected, as well as concerns over a lack of shore leave and an inability to contact family.
This fall in happiness is driven by a decrease in sentiment across most areas of life on board covered by the survey, with onboard connectivity being the only notable aspect that showed improvement. However, frustration was expressed by some respondents over what seems to be unfair inconsistency in vessel connectivity, with some vessels in the same fleet having better internet access than others.
Respondents to the Q4 2023 Seafarers Happiness Index survey also expressed concern over a lack of social interaction and a growing sense of isolation. Whilst seafarers recognize the benefits of spending quality time with their colleagues, much more needs to be done to create focal points that provide time and space together, which in turn helps to build a sense of togetherness and a team ethos onboard. Seafarers also reiterated their concerns about stagnating wages, which are failing to keep up with inflation, and a lack of training opportunities.
The growing security threats to the lives of seafarers are also reflected in the results of the survey. It is clear that the escalating risks to seafarer safety from piracy, terrorism and war risks are having an impact on crew welfare. It is also adding to the workload burden on seafarers, due to the ramping up of security duties in higher risk waters. The survey also highlighted the importance of warlike operations area payments. However, there is likely to be a lag between the responses and the official designation of these areas. As such, the Q1 2024 survey should reveal the true impact of these changes.
Looking back at 2023, says the Mission to Seafarers, it is clear that the emergence from COVID was not accompanied by a return to pre-pandemic conditions for seafarers, despite an initial recovery in seafarer happiness in 2022. Extended contracts, diminished employment terms, downward pressure on wages and growing workload demands have undermined welfare and working conditions. In turn, seafarers continue to call for action on shore leave, connectivity, training, diversity, recreation, and mental health support, in order to see their working lives transformed into more sustainable, equitable, and fulfilling careers.
“Following the uptick in seafarer happiness in late 2022 after the lifting of COVID restrictions, it is very disappointing to see the downward trend in happiness over the course of 2023,” said Canon Andrew Wright, Secretary General of The Mission to Seafarers. “If there was ever any complacency about the circumstances facing seafarers around the globe, these results surely dispel that. We know that some ship owners and managers are doing fantastic work to invest in the wellbeing of their crew, but sadly the overall picture remains concerning.”
Download the full Seafarers Happiness Index report for Q4 2023 HERE
