Ukrainian seafarers are working continuously on board ships despite growing levels of depression and exhaustion as they fear they will be conscripted if they return home, maritime charity Stella Maris said.
The Catholic charity said that levels of loneliness and depression were increasing among Ukrainian seafarers more than two years into the war, with improved internet access on ships bringing home the reality of the conflict.
The group also warned of the impact of bottled-up tensions among Russian and Ukrainian seafarers working together on ships, with rules banning discussion about the war.
The shock of the invasion has been replaced by fears over the impact of the war with no end in sight, said the two UK-based port chaplains, Charles Stuart and Gregory Hogan.
“In addition, there is the very real fear of being conscripted into the army if they return home,” said Hogan.
“I met a captain who came in and then started crying,” he said. “His mother-in-law was in one of the areas being bombed and he hadn’t heard from her, yet he was also having to take charge of his ship.
“We see that many of the seafarers can be exhausted. They can access so much information online now, more than ever before, and have access to distressing often graphic news reports.
“We have seen seafarers deeply distressed because they haven’t heard from their wife, partner or parents in 24 hours.
“They might worry about this all night and then have to work the next morning in an exhausting role.”
No option
Hogan said that many younger seafarers felt they had no option but to continue working, despite wanting to visit relatives in Ukraine.
“There is that fear of conscription should they go back,” he said. “They have no option but to work continually in a challenging, often lonely role.”
The pair cited the experience of Covid-19 when seafarers were forced to remain on ships for months.
They said the situation had been echoed for Ukrainian seafarers and that it was damaging to their mental health.
Hogan said Russian crews also feared speaking out about the war and cited the case of a Russian master who was furious at the loss of his pension, which he blamed on President Vladimir Putin.
Russians and Ukrainians combined accounted for about 15% of the world’s 1.89m seafaring population, according to Bimco and International Chamber of Shipping figures from 2021.
The industry is facing a shortage of seafarers, with a lack of onboard internet cited as one of the key reasons why people were unwilling to spend months at sea.
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