On the Waves: The Hidden Crisis of COVID-19

Ships and those who man them are an invisible part of many of our lives.

By Andrew Coggins, PhD
Professor of Management, Lubin School of Business

Psalm 107:23–24 KJV states, “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord and his wonders of the deep.”

Ninety percent of all goods move by sea at some point in their journey from creation to consumption. These goods are carried by some 50,000 plus merchant ships manned by some 1.65 plus million seafarers, split about 40/60 officers and ratings.

Seafarers work under time limited contracts, anywhere from six weeks to nine months. The International Transport Federation (ITF) recommends a maximum length of 10 months. In normal times, pre-COVID, everyday there are thousands of seafarers in the air, seamlessly passing through immigration and customs on their way to and from their ships. However, to paraphrase Tolkien’s Gollum character, “we are not in normal times.”

A quick glance at a world map of COVID travel restrictions shows the majority of countries are closed and most of the others are restricted. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), international air travel is down 62–66% from 2019. The efficient well-oiled system has come to an abrupt halt. Crew with expired contracts can’t leave their ships and their reliefs can’t reach them. Ships are minimally manned to specific skills and jobs, so when there is a shortage someone has to take on additional duties. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), there were over 300,000 seafarers with expired contracts at sea.

Seafarers also make substantial contributions to many developing economies through remittances. With the system frozen, seafarers due to join ships are stuck at home without income. Those with expired contracts have been onboard six to seven additional months and in some cases over a year. They have families that they can’t see or reach in case of an emergency. While cargo ships are still sailing, the cruise industry has essentially been shut down since March/April. As their ships were laid-up their crews needed to be repatriated, returned home. in accordance with International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions. With so many borders closed, the cruise lines have resorted to loading their ships with excess crew and sailing them to their home countries. They’ve also used chartered airplanes for repatriation. The large size of cruise ship crews, in the hundreds, makes this cost effective when possible. With cargo ship crews, 25–40, this is not feasible. Some ports, such as Singapore, have taken steps to facilitate crew transfer. But for this to work, there has to be open air links between Singapore and the home country, and the ship has to be near Singapore. The IMO has also been pushing for the designation of all seafarers as Key Workers, therefore exempt from travel restrictions.

Ships and those who man them are an invisible part of many of our lives. So, as we work our way through this crisis, every so often, give a thought and prayer to “They that go down to the sea in ships.”