I recently spent four days on a commercial vessel while it transited from port to port delivering cargo. As a former mariner I really enjoyed being back out at sea, but I quickly realized how much has changed for the life of a mariner.
While an old sailor may think that STCW work hour restrictions and modern technology, i.e., global telecom and computerization, have made life at sea a tad less taxing mentally and physically, they would be wrong. While the mariner 35+ years ago worked without hour restrictions and did not have an iPhone to stay in touch with family or friends, shore leave was easier and work contracts were shorter.
Today, the fast pace of in-port cargo operations and visa restrictions make port leave a thing of the past for most mariners. On top of that, contract lengths are now generally six months for officers and nine months for ratings.
In short, life at sea is hard. One mariner said to me during the transit, “it would be nice to get a call every so often asking me how I’m doing.”
I know there are many organizations that support seafarers and hats off to them. More can be done by other stakeholders. If you are sitting at your desk and you have the phone number of a mariner, call them up this New Year and ask how they are doing. You will be surprised how much that small gesture means to them.
— William R. Bennett III, Editor
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