A QUARTER of seafarers surveyed said they did not get any shore leave during the entirety of their contract, a report by the ITF Seafarers’ Trust has revealed.

For those that do manage to receive shore leave, 47% said they spend less than three hours ashore.

Shore leave has been considered a custom for many years the report said, “essential for well-being and pressure relief from the responsibilities of life on board”. But the ability for seafarers to take shore leave has been “seriously eroded” and may even be facing extinction.

A lack of time at port and workload on board were cited as significant barriers to taking shore leave by many of the 5,879 seafarers asked.

A Turkish deck officer, cited by the report, said “most of the time, our shore leave is based on our port watch schedule and chief officers’ approach to officers; while having six on/six off watch it is almost impossible to go out without making another officer take your watch for a couple of hours”.

Increased inspections were also mentioned by seafarers as a key contributor to workload which prevents shore leave.

Another seafarer told the ITF Seafarers’ Trust that ports can impose hefty transport fees on seafarers that make shore leave either an extremely unattractive or simply impossible opportunity. An Indian seafarer said one port charged $400 for a round trip to and from the terminal gate.

ITF Seafarers’ Trust head Katie Higginbottom said the survey confirmed her organisation’s fears.

“Seafarers are not getting shore leave because it hasn’t been prioritised as essential for crew well-being and the safety of the vessel.

“This is about setting the scene, and it is stark. We hope that the findings will promote discussion and acknowledgement that seafarers deserve a break from the vessel. Action must be taken to preserve the possibility of shore leave.”

But as the report itself points out, the fact that there is no single entity responsible makes the problem difficult (though not impossible) to solve.

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust called on all stakeholders, from flag states to port states, as well as agents, shipping companies and seafarers themselves to collaborate to ensure shore leave is accessible.

“All parties need to recognise that, unchecked, the current regime risks the extinction of shore leave as a viable concept reinforcing the strains on an already pressurised workforce,” the trust said.