Negosentro.com | How the Maritime Workers Struggle During the COVID-19 Pandemic – The Struggle |The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, in all industries and across the world in a sweep that if someone had spoken to you about a year ago, you wouldn’t have believed. However, while everyone has been affected to some degree, but today I wanted to focus on an industry you may not have had much time in the spotlight, with is the maritime industry.
Let’s get right into it.
How the Maritime Industry has Been Affected by COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions that have been put in place around the world, the industry has seen far more seafarers to be stuck on their boats and places of work far beyond the traditional time that they would spend at sea. This is not the normal standard, and seafarers are far more exhausted and drained than they should be allowed to be.
In the EU and UK, many government bodies are calling for people in the maritime industry to be titled key workers, which will provide them with extra resources to deal with the problems that have been created during this pandemic, and ensure that the crew’s safety, both physically and mentally, is maintained throughout this difficult time.
Of course, ‘the show has to go on’ when it comes to global logistics since otherwise the plant, the economy, and society as we know it would come to a standstill, even more so than it already has, which is maritime workers and their role are so essential during this unprecedented time.
Are Things Looking Hopefully to Return to Normal?
There is definitely a heavy focus this year on making sure changes are taking place to try and get the maritime industry and its workers into a position where they are looked after, although there’s no news or signs that things will be going back to normal any time soon. At the first peak of the pandemic, crew changes, shore leaves, and even medical leaves were suspended, and this is taking its toll.
Since workers are becoming isolated and fatigued, there’s a massive increase in the risk of accidents taking place in maritime facilities. If you’ve been affected by such an incident yourself, always make sure you get in touch with a skilled maritime accident attorney since you may be dealing with a complicated case.
There are cases in which people have now been on tour for over 17 months, which is just insane to think about, especially when universal protocol dictates you should only be out for 11 months, especially if you’re working under the UN. For now, we’ll have to watch this space.
Summary
The TL:DR version is that yes, the maritime industry is struggling, but there are actions being taken to try and make things better and safer for everyone involved. It’s too early to tell what’s going to happen right now, especially as we head into another peak, but we’ll need to watch this space.
