3 August 2023 (Lloyd's List) - SHIPPING companies need to think through their policies on drink and drug abuse rather than rely on a blanket ban that may not be observed, according to the head of loss prevention at an International Group P&I club.
While crews do understand the need to stay sober, the nature of work at sea — including long hours, isolation and high stress levels — inevitably means that a minority will turn to alcohol and substances for relaxation purposes, West of England’s Simon Hodgkinson added.
The issue was highlighted during the Covid-19 crewing crisis, when up to 400,000 seafarers were stranded on ships for sometimes months on end, with the inevitable consequence that existing taboos were sometimes eroded.
Hodgkinson’s remarks follow recent similar expressions of concern over the issue from his counterpart at West’s rival Britannia, Jacob Damgaard.
Both point out that inebriation or intoxication can impair a seafarer’s judgement and ability to perform duties effectively and safely, leading to safety incidents, injuries and even deaths.
They can also create disciplinary problems, absenteeism and reduced productivity, all of which can have a negative impact on the overall performance of the crew and the vessel.
The Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping convention requires companies to implement a clear written drug and alcohol policy. These can include pre-employment testing and random testing on board.
Many owners impose a strict no alcohol policy on board, even extending to shore leave. Others permit moderate beer or wine consumption in off-duty hours. But right up until the early career of many older current employees, shipping was seen as a boozy industry, with heavy drinking an accepted part of the lifestyle. Until the 1980s, most ships even had bars on board.
Moreover, port calls at that time ran to several days or even a week or two, allowing seafarers to go ashore and socialise in a way that literally became proverbial.
“Health and safety over the years has taken a stronger hand and when people are operating multimillion dollar machinery, it’s not the greatest idea to have them drinking,” said Hodgkinson.
“On most vessels now, there’s no drinking on board when the vessels are operational and that makes absolute sense.”
However, there does appear to have been some resurgence in alcohol use, especially in the wake of the Covid crewing crisis, which at its peak saw 400,000 seafarer trapped on their vessels, sometimes for months on end.
Moreover, because of the prohibitions in place, seafarers are prone to drinking surreptitiously.
“Some companies say if you’re not in a watchkeeping position, you can have a couple of beers. The reality is, it’s quite tough on the other people who can’t. It’s difficult to enforce sensibly.
“Humans are humans. You may say, you can have two cans of beer a day, that’s not enough to get drunk. However, people tend to stockpile them.”
Where applicable, mental health support does need to be provided, especially on extended trips.
Senior officers are often older and male, and subject to a slightly macho “stiff upper lip” culture. That makes it important to provide them with basic training in recognising the symptoms of mental health issues, and to be able to provide the mental health equivalent of first aid.
Depression or anxiety can be just as debilitating as physical conditions, and in the worst cases, seafarers might have to be taken off a ship and sent home for treatment.
“Without doubt, suicide certainly happens, and happens more than is reported. But getting hard numbers is incredibly difficult,” Hodgkinson added.
Unless a suicide note is left, it’s hard to know whether someone fell off a ship accidentally or deliberately threw themselves over the railings.
There are also cultural considerations. For instance, Filipino seafarers may not leave a note, because they know that families do not get payouts where seafarers take their own lives.
There has also been a generational shift in attitudes to recreational drugs, which have been decriminalised in many countries and are often available for legal purchase. But there is no indication of any increase in seafarer drug abuse, probably because it is hard to get them through airport security checks when flying out to join a ship.
Seafarers are also mindful of the risks of a random drug test, or ships being searched in a country in which penalties for drug possession are severe.
