The life of a crew members on container, bulk and other types of cargo-related ships isn’t easy, with many of the 1.89 million seafarers completing long term voyages which leave them isolated from friends, family and loved ones for up to nine months at a time.

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Those sailors also endure hard work and sometimes problems with being able to communicate to the outside world when on a ship.

But the world is highly dependent on seafarers, without which the global economy would come to a halt.

It turns out that there is a global support group for such sailors, an outfit called Mission to Seafarers, whose web site says it offers practical and emotional support and spiritual guidance when asked. The Mission to Seafarers also says it aims to provide as much help as possible to international seafarers through having representation at over 200 sea ports across 50 different countries.

One of its activities is a regular survey of seafarers on their satisfaction with the job and the life. The results for Q2 were recently released by the Mission.

The headline news: There was a notable decline in the “happiness” of the world’s seafarers in the second quarter, as working and living conditions continue to lag below pre-pandemic standards.

That according to the Mission’s “Seafarers Happiness Index (SHI)” report.

In this most recent survey results, seafarer happiness levels declined across all areas versus Q4 2022, with the most significant drops in general crew happiness, shore leave, and workload, showing an approximate 8% decrease in the index score.

The sailors are feeling greater dissatisfaction with the slow return of working and living conditions to pre-pandemic standards, including crew changes, time on board, wages, and shore leave. Respondents also reported unmanageable workloads, limited internet access, and inadequate gym facilities as key issues.

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The COVID-19 pandemic helped expose the significant challenges for seafarers, including crew change delays, extended time on board, and declining wages, leading to worsened working conditions. Returning to pre-COVID conditions for seafarers has been difficult, causing frustration among sailors.

The shortage of available drinking water is another important concern for seafarer happiness, as it was a common problem despite being covered by the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). Rising global food prices have also negatively impacted seafarers, with low company meal budgets and expense cuts leading to insufficient food supplies for periods of up to 2-3 weeks.

A hungry seafarer is not a happy seafarer.

The survey also found seafarers see limited opportunities for shore leave, leading to negative impacts on mental health, job satisfaction, and welfare. Sailors are seeking standardized protocols for shore leave.

Seafarers report concerns about work-life balance, work and rest hour violations, and wages, with some being paid only once during their entire time on board.

“Stagnation of wages over 15 years highlights the need for fair and timely adjustments to wages that reflect the true value of seafarers’ contributions to the industry,” the report says.

“It is extremely disappointing to read of contracts being altered or disregarded, leading to payment issues, salary cuts, rising taxes, and increased living costs, as well as such fundamental requirements such as good quality meals, access to shore leave and manageable workloads,” said Revd Canon Andrew Wright, Secretary General of The Mission to Seafarers.

A link to the full report is supposedly available at the end of this summary article here on the Mission’s web site, but at the time of publication was not working.

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