The Global Maritime Forum (GMF) says the number of seafarers stuck on board vessels beyond the expiry of their contracts has fallen to its lowest level since it started compiling figures in May 2021.
The Copenhagen-based body said the number of seafarers aboard vessels beyond their contracted terms had fallen to 3.6%, according to its Neptune Crew Change Indicator, and the number stuck on board for more than 11 months had decreased to its lowest level of just 0.4%.
GMF said the indicator also saw another positive trend, with a 10.3% increase in seafarer vaccinations to 59.8% in January — the highest increase so far.
Despite this, GMF said seafarer vaccinations still pose "numerous challenges" such as vaccine hesitancy and persistent supply challenges in certain geographies.
"Seafarer travel remains challenging as there are issues with World Health Organization-recognised vaccines not being recognised by all countries and regions," it said.
GMF said there are also reports that authorities in certain countries have shortened vaccine validity to six months, causing issues with crew changes on long-term contracts, while access to booster vaccines is already being reported as a new challenge.
Ship managers also noted challenges to crew changes with countries, especially in Asia and Europe, reviewing their protocols and reimposing restrictions on crew changes due to the new Omicron variant and high infection rates.
"Flight cancellations due to the variant are also preventing seafarers from going home," GMF said.
"While the data was reported on 15 December, as Omicron was rapidly spreading, some of its strongest impacts were felt in the second half of December, so the full effects of Omicron on crew changes are not yet fully reported."
Kasper Sogaard, GMF's managing director and head of institutional strategy and development, said that while the January numbers seem encouraging, the industry must remain cautious because the figures do not reveal the full impact of Omicron as the new infection wave is not yet over.
"To avoid reigniting the crew-change crisis and reversing these recent positive trends, it is vital the industry and governments make all efforts to ensure the effect on crew changes of Omicron remain minimal," Sogaard said.
The Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator comprises aggregated data from 10 leading ship managers: Anglo-Eastern, Bernhard Schulte, Columbia Shipmanagement, Fleet Management, OSM, Synergy Marine, Thome, V.Group, Wallem, and Wilhelmsen Ship Management, which collectively have about 90,000 seafarers currently on board.
