The quarterly, survey-based report
tracks seafarers’ thoughts and opinions on various parts of their working life,
from connectivity to workload, shore leave to training.
Overall
Q4 happiness levels improved in the fourth quarter, giving a 7.69 on the index, which
is scored out of 10. The authors of the report said the figure reflected a
“sustained upward trend” seen through the course of 2022 and improvements
across almost all categories.
“The results of the survey show that even the historically most problematic areas,
such as shore leave and access to welfare ashore, are recovering. Crew
members continued to express their relief at the return of freedom of movement,
as well as their increased sense of certainty and stability,” said the report.
The single area reporting a decline
in Q4 was connectivity – a factor which has proven crucial in overall seafarer
morale during the course of the past two years. Seafarers expressed
concerns of quality and cost of connectivity, with a growing expectation
that internet access should be free or inexpensive.
Contrary to the belief that increased
connectivity can increase crew isolation and reduce cohesion, seafarers claimed that connectivity helps
bring crews together, for instance during the World Cup when live matches
were watched together by crew members.
“It was also noticeable that a significant number of seafarers
appeared to have switched employer or trading patterns to be closer to home in
case of travel restrictions. In addition, there was a growing number of
responses from seafarers from non-traditional maritime labour markets, such as
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,” said the report.
Reviewing the year as a whole, the
story of improvement starts from an eight-year low in seafarer happiness in the
first quarter, as the ongoing impacts of the pandemic wore on crew morale,
including extended contracts and the removal of shore leave and access to
shoreside welfare services.
The
index hit a low of 5.85 in Q1. Q2’s figure of 7.21 heralded the end of the
worst COVID impacts for most seafarers, with more certainty in travel and
contract lengths as the world began to reopen.