Tending to a range of needs helps keep seafarers shipshape
The Port of Houston is often described as an economic engine, spurring trade and creating jobs across the city. But in this big-picture view, it’s easy to forget about the seafarers aboard those ships.
Protecting their emotional and physical well-being was a topic Wednesday at a conference hosted by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association and the West Gulf Maritime Association.
“Never have we been in such
close proximity with the rest of the world while also witnessing the presence of social isolation,” said Jason Zuidema, executive director of the North American Maritime Ministry Association. “We are closer together and further apart.”
Social isolation has become a major issue for mariners. Technology and increased efficiency allow ships to use smaller crews and spend less time in ports. Some terminals make it difficult to leave the ship.
Increasingly, crews are multinational, which means mariners might not have opportunities to speak in their native language.
Internet connectivity is also a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it helps seafarers stay in touch with loved ones at home. But it could also contribute to their isolation from other mariners and provide distractions while working.
Still, the No. 1 priority expressed by seafarers in port is internet connectivity, Zuidema said. They want someone to come aboard the ship to offer data SIM cards or mobile hotspots.
Zuidema said the emotional stability of a mariner goes beyond the individual. It could also affect the ship’s safety and its impact on the environment. His organization advocates for finding ways to bolster emotional stability, such as providing reading literature in their native language and boosting shore leave.
Gordon Cooper is the global business development director for Future Care, which provides telemedical and other services to more than 25,000 mariners, helping them to maintain their health while onboard.
He said the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations’ specialized agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping, entitles seafarers to prompt and adequate medical care while working onboard, the right to visit a qualified medical doctor or dentist in ports of call, and the right to receive preventative care.
“These rules are aimed at providing seafarers with health protection and medical care as comparable as possible to that which is generally available to workers ashore,” Cooper said. “And at no cost to the seafarer.”
Future Care helps provide care before an ailment becomes a medical emergency. It has found that 69 percent of its cases are related to onboard sickness (17 percent are injury-related, 12 percent dental and 2 percent wellness). On average, more than 25 percent of all cases can be resolved onboard without visiting a doctor in port.
“That means the crew member is back fit for duty, eligible for overtime and not a burden to his shipmates — nor the ship’s management in terms of shore-side expenses and delays,” Cooper said. “Equally important, the mariner sees that he has an advocate.”