Crews aboard cargo ships being denied shore leave
• Though international shipping lanes and Canada’s major ports remain open for business, the COVID-19 pandemic is making life miserable for many seafarers.
Under the latest rules, Canadian crews aboard most
Canadian- flagged cargo vessels have agreed not to leave their ships when they arrive at their destinations, which means they can be restricted to their vessels for up to three months at a time.
The crews on some foreign- flagged ships are being told they’ll be stuck on their ships — without shore leave — for up to nine months.
“It’s a real stressful situation,” Jim Given, president of the Seafarers’ International Union of Canada, said Wednesday.
“That outside contact is being lost for those seafarers. As a maritime community, we’re going to have to figure out how we handle this. Everybody is trying their best, but it’s very difficult.”
Helen Glenn, manager of the Mission of Seafarers, said her non-profit group is doing its best to help, even though the mission’s building on the Halifax waterfront has been temporarily closed.
Glenn said she has been making arrangements through shipping agents to contact each ship’s captain via cellphone or email to determine what crew members need before their ship arrives at the Port of Halifax.
At the top of every shopping list is a request for cellphone SIM cards, which give users access to long-distance calling and the internet.
“They would be unable to connect with their families without getting a data card or SIM card,” Glenn said, adding that she and her volunteers no longer board the vessels. Instead, there’s a brief exchange at the bottom of the gangway. “It gives them the ability to make calls, send email, Skype and use Facetime. Without these, they literally cannot reach their families.”
Glenn said communication tools like Wi-fi and satellite phones are often unavailable aboard cargo ships, which contributes to a sense of isolation.
“Mental health during this tumultuous time is of the utmost importance” she said.