Recent data collected by the Seamen's Church Institute shows that not only are shipowners failing to pay for crewmember visas as required by the Maritime Labour Convention of 2006, but also flag states are failing to enforce the requirement.
Shore leave significantly improves seafarers’ health and the safe and efficient operation of a vessel. The Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) Center for Seafarers’ Rights collected data pertaining to seafarers’ access to shore leave for the 13th year in a row as part of its annual seafarer shore leave survey. SCI asked port welfare workers in 27 ports across the United States to monitor the shore leave of seafarers’ from visiting vessels during the last week in May. Results show the large majority of seafarers denied shore leave are denied it because they lack visas.
This year’s survey was the first SCI has conducted since the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) was enacted. The MLC was in force in 37 countries during the survey week. Standard A1.4 Section 5(b) of the MLC requires shipowners to pay for seafarers’ visas. Furthermore, flag states must verify shipowners’ compliance with the MLC recruitment and placement requirements, which include Standard A1.4 Section 5(b), before issuing a maritime labour certificate. Ships registered in countries that have ratified the MLC must have a maritime labour certificate before they can sail. The survey showed that flag states are not enforcing the MLC requirement for shipowners to pay for visas. Approximately 79% of the seafarers denied shore leave for lack of visa served on ships registered in countries where the MLC was in force.
Even for some seafarers who have obtained visas, gaining access to areas outside the port can be expensive and strenuous. Many seafarers must rely on transport from local sources. Seafarer welfare organizations, like SCI, frequently provide free escorted transportation, but sometimes terminal operators restrict access by these organizations to the docked vessels. Not all ports have seafarer welfare organizations. In some terminals, seafarers must pay a private company—usually at great cost—to escort them instead.
The results of SCI’s seafarer shore leave survey document terminal policies that affect chaplains’ or seafarers’ access and other restrictions preventing shore leave. The report also offers observations on how to alleviate some of the issues. Download the complete survey results at http://smschur.ch/shoreleave2014.
