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A lack of shore leave remains the number one concern for seafarers. Ben Bailey, the Mission’s Director of Programme, examines why this trend cannot be ignored.
Brutally short port stays, ramped-up security protocols, and expensive or non-existent transport options mean that disembarking has become an elusive privilege rather than an expected part of
the job.
In recent editions of the Seafarers Happiness Index, some crews went so far as to describe their vessels as “floating prisons”, a metaphor no industry committed to safety and sustainability should ever ignore.
SHORE LEAVE IS NOT A PERK
Shore leave is not a perk; it is a pressure valve. If the maritime workforce is expected to remain competent, alert, and motivated, it must be given the basic conditions necessary for healthy living.
With up to 80% of maritime accidents linked to human error, limiting rest opportunities is a direct threat to operational integrity. Shore leave should therefore sit alongside maintenance checks and safety audits as a core requirement, not an optional extra squeezed out by tight schedules.
CLOSING THE GAP IN SUPPORT
At the Mission, teams across more than 200 ports are working relentlessly to support those who cannot leave their ships. Welfare services can offer varied and crucial support, but they cannot
substitute for true freedom of movement. Even the best land-based support cannot replicate what a simple visit ashore provides – the chance to step away, clear one’s mind, and reconnect with the world beyond the steel walls of a ship.
A RIGHT GROUNDED IN SAFETY
To truly support crew welfare, the maritime community must reclaim shore leave as a right grounded in safety, wellbeing, and dignity.
This means scheduling operational windows that guarantee disembarkation time, ensuring ports provide safe and affordable access routes for crew, and recognising psychological wellbeing as an essential element of maritime safety protocols. Shipping has shown remarkable agility in confronting decarbonisation and digital transformation. The same level of commitment must now be applied to the people who operate the vessels and machinery upon which global trade depends.
When the wellbeing of seafarers deteriorates, the entire maritime ecosystem is placed at risk. Their safety, motivation, and mental health are inseparable from the safety of the world’s oceans and supply chains.
Reinstating reliable access to shore leave is one of the clearest steps the sector can take to safeguard its future and honour the people who keep the world moving.
