Warnings have been issued over a mental health crisis among commercial seafarers after some were trapped on board their vessels for more than a year due to covid.
Support charity the Liverpool Seafarer's Centre (LSC), based in Crosby, says that the impact of the pandemic has been devastating for the workforce, with some expressing thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
John Wilson, chief executive of the LSC, said he had spoken to some workers on commercial ships who had been stuck on board for up to 15 months, working 10-12 hours per day.
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Most shipping contracts are around nine months, with a pre-covid maximum of 12 months before shore leave is granted under maritime law.
But due to lockdown laws making crew changes near impossible, seafarers have been faced with the choice of staying put or breaking their contracts - potentially blacklisting themselves from future work.
LSC, which has roots dating back to the 19th Century, supports around 50,000 seafarers passing through Liverpool’s ports each year.
Able to board ships where the crew are not allowed to leave, John has seen first hand some of the struggles the pandemic has caused.
John said: "When it first happened they were very, very angry. They were told their contracts were going to be extended and there was no way they were going home.
"Having worked for seven or eight months they were very impatient."
John described how some seafarers on ships he boarded were "not far off becoming violent and demanded to get off the ship."
He said: "I was able to speak to some of them and reason with them. Even if they left the ship there was no way they were going to be able to get home, and then if they did get home their income has stopped.
"They could then find themselves blacklisted because that is how it works in the shipping industry."
John outlined the frustrations of living on board a vessel for months on end
He said: "I imagine it’s similar to living in a prison: seeing the same people every day, conversation gets limited as time goes on.
"The routine carries on and it just becomes more and more mundane. It's a downward spiral.”
John said many of those on board struggling with their mental health find it hard to speak out.
He said: "A lot of them don't want to appear weak, and often it is only as we are leaving that someone will say 'can I just speak to you about this'.
"Some of them have mentioned having thoughts of suicide, although luckily I haven't come across someone who has done it yet."
Charitable organisation Human Rights at Sea has also highlighted how seafarers face isolation, sleep disruption and exhaustion.
A recent survey revealed that a fifth have thought of self-harm, exacerbated by an unprecedented flow of pleas about non-payment of wages, contracts being renewed without consent and crews being left in foreign ports without money or flights home.
John added: "The everyday person in the street doesn't realise the importance of the seafaring community, including fishers.
"On Fridays people go to the chippy, but they have no idea where the fish comes from, it's just there. I'm not blaming the average person, it's not their fault.
"But we need to really raise the profile of seafaring and seafarers among the general public.
"We live like kings and queens compared to the standards they put up with."
Many international borders have since reopened, but John says while conditions have improved, the effects of the past year remain stark.
The Human Rights at Sea and LSC have each formally called on governments to recognise seafarers as key workers and to be given priority access to COVID vaccinations.
International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Kitack Lim also said despite the fact that 95% of the world's goods are delivered by seafarers, the profession is not "treated with the respect it deserves.
He said: "They aren't seen as a vital workforce to vaccinate, but if it wasn't for them, our goods and services just would not be transported.
“The Suez Canal situation showed the impact of one vessel getting stuck on the whole of the world’s trade: it made everyone sit up and take note of the importance of seafaring.
“They've got to be key workers – but they haven't got full recognition as key workers.”
