Columbia Shipmanagement is continuing to spearhead efforts to improve crew welfare at a time when seafarers' working lives have become more difficult than ever.
Against a background of enforced stays on board ships due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company has launched its ColumbiaCrewCare package.
This will provide seafarers and other staff with life insurance and an investment plan for medical costs, disability provision, pension planning or even help with buying a house or a car.
Columbia believes this is taking crew welfare to the next level.
Mark O’Neil, the company's president and chief executive, told TradeWinds: "I don't think this has been done before but I don't think we've had a situation like Covid-19 where all companies' full attention has been focused very much on the backbone of our operations, which is our people, our crew, our clients.
"The one thing I think that has occurred in this whole pandemic period for us is a real catharsis where we worked out what really matters in our personal and professional lives and we very quickly came to the same conclusion — it's the people who matter."
Sacrifices rewarded
O’Neil added: “When we looked at the sacrifices our crew and staff were making, I was shocked and dismayed that even a company like ours, that prides itself on caring for its people, wasn’t looking at what benefits crew members were receiving from the cradle to the grave.”
Columbia was already providing 24/7 mental health support for crew with its partner Mental Health Support Solutions, and also working with caterer MCTC to tailor nutrition to individual requirements.
But there were still two gaps: benefits and health.
"I for one will certainly be taking this out," O'Neil said of the scheme.
The boss explained the ColumbiaCrewCare package is an investment scheme that doubles up as life insurance. As little as one euro per day sees a seafarer receive €25,000 ($29,350) of life insurance cover.
Cash is accessible
The funds are invested for 10 to 15 years and can be withdrawn at any stage.
"We subsidise each and every policy so that each crew member is getting more bang for his or her buck," O'Neil said.
Contributions could go up to €600 per month for more senior staff.
“If when I was in the army at age 21, someone had said to me, start a pension at say $300 per month, it was the last thing I wanted to spend my money on,” O’Neil said.
"We had to pitch it a level that an able-bodied seaman wouldn't be unduly harmed by."
Healthy body, healthy mind
The shipmanager has also launched its ColumbiaFit programme to help crew with physical well-being.
Each crew member will be equipped with personal gym equipment, while a free phone app will help them record their weight loss in a way that is both interactive and fun, the shipmanager said.
Seafarers can also sign up to fitness classes, yoga, relaxation and meditation techniques.
Crew change backlog slashed
Asked how the company's crew changes were progressing, O'Neil said: "We're doing better than most. We have left no stone unturned in ensuring that every step is taken to return crew members home safely to safe environments.
"You can't just look at numbers, it's about communication."
O’Neil said there is no point moving crew off a safe vessel into a Covid hotspot.
The company now has well below 100 crew who have been on board for over 12 months, out of a pool of 15,000.
But this is still not good enough, O'Neil said.
“I make myself available for an hour every morning for any crew member to call or email me. I’ve had many, many calls and we’ve been able to focus our efforts to ensure they get off or are repatriated,” he said.
Crew should not be invisible
“Our morale levels on board have never been higher.”
O’Neil said crew had told the company they felt invisible even before Covid-19.
“How could this be? They are the most important people,” he said. “A crew that is looked after and motivated, fit and healthy, is going to operate and manage a vessel much better and more efficiently.”
And he concluded: "You can have the most successful company in the world but if you're not looking after the people at the sharp end, the service is going to suffer."
