Seafarers struggle to get any shore leave

A new report from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust (ITFST) and the World Maritime University (WMU) highlights the continuing absence of shore leave for the world’s seafarers. 

Analysing the data from 5,879 seafarers who responded to the ITFST’s Shore Leave Survey, WMU researchers concluded that more than a quarter of seafarers did not get any shore leave at all, and a third only got ashore once or twice during their entire contract, based on an average of 6.6 months onboard.

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust opened the Shore Leave Survey in mid-2024 to test the concern that shore leave seemed to be progressively harder to access. Working with the team at the WMU to analyse the data, the resulting report seeks to give a true picture of the current levels of shore leave available to seafarers, how often it happened, how long it lasted, and to look at possible barriers.

The report paints a sorry picture of access to shore leave and shore-based services. Officers were least likely to get shore leave, and seafarers on offshore vessels and tankers were the least likely to get ashore. Across all respondents, even when seafarers did get shore leave, 47% were able to spend less than three hours ashore and overall, 93.5% spent less than six hours ashore.

The data shows that the barriers to shore leave are multiple and systemic: minimal crewing and high workloads, increasing inspections, port security and operational efficiencies leading to lack of time in port, lack of shore-based facilities and costs of transport. 

Katie Higginbottom, head of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust said: “This survey confirms our fears. Seafarers are not getting shore leave because it hasn’t been prioritised as essential for crew wellbeing 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.”

The report is clear that the problem is systemic and multifaceted. All stakeholders, from flag states to port states, agents to shipping companies and seafarers themselves, are urged by the report’s authors to collaborate to ensure that this vital component of life at sea is maintained and expanded. 

“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,” stated a release from the trust.