Shore leave for foreign seafarers continues to be a problem at US ports (free article)

The 2015 Seamen’s Church Institute Shore Leave Survey has just come out and the results are disheartening. In the last five years the number of ships with at least one detained seafarer has risen steadily with to its highest point in the history of the survey at 27.4% up 68.8% from 2011. Over the same period the number of seafarers detained has also risen steadily to 1642 out of 9495 seafarers surveyed or 17.3%. The 1642 seafarers detained for 2015 is 85.2% higher than the 887 seafarers detained for 2011.

Even more disheartening is the fact that the number one reason, at 79%, for denying entry is lack of a valid visa far outpacing the second highest reason, seafarers who remained on their vessels in United States waters for more than 29 days at (7%).

The Seamen’s Church Institute press release follows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

seamenschurch.org

Download SCI’s full 2015 Seafarer Shore Leave Survey report at http://smschur.ch/shoreleave2015.

2015 Seafarer Shore Leave Survey

A 2015 survey reveals why some seafarers cannot obtain shore leave in US ports.

The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) Center for Seafarers’ Rights, with the assistance of North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) and other seafarer ministries throughout the United States, conducted its fourteenth annual Seafarer Shore Leave Survey during the week of May 23–29, 2015. The survey aimed to identify difficulties encountered by seafarers in accessing shore leave.

Survey administrators recorded data from nearly 9,500 seafarers on over 400 vessels in 27 ports. Of these seafarers, 1,642 (17.3%) were denied shore leave—an overwhelming majority of which because they lacked a valid visa (79%). Other reasons for shore leave denials included seafarers who remained on their vessels in United States waters for more than 29 days (7%), vessel operations (5%), terminal restrictions (4%), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) restrictions (1%), and restrictions on transit with C-1 visas (1%).

The percentage of ships with seafarers detained has increased for the third year in a row in SCI’s annual Seafarer Shore Leave Survey. The rate has reached its highest point (27.4%) of the past 12 years. SCI’s 2015 survey also recorded the largest total number of vessels with at least one seafarer denied shore leave (128).

Of the 1,642 seafarers denied shore leave in this year’s survey, 1,300 did not have a valid visa. The United States requires non-American seafarers to obtain crewmember visas in order to apply for shore leave. This directly conflicts with the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL)—of which the United States is a member—prohibiting visa requirements for seafarers. In countries requiring visas for shore leave, the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006)—which came into effect two years ago—requires that shipowners pay for them. Of the 1,300 seafarers denied shore leave for lack of a valid visa, at least 418 (32%) were from countries that have ratified MLC, 2006 and have an obligation to ensure seafarers have visas. The survey also reveals flag states that have not held shipowners accountable. Of the 1,044 seafarers without visas, 1,300 were on vessels registered in MLC, 2006 member states.

Currently, terminal restrictions present an obstacle for seafarers looking to obtain shore leave. On December 29, 2014, the United States Coast Guard proposed a new rule, which, if implemented, would require terminals to provide timely transit through the terminal at no cost to seafarers. If the Coast Guard’s proposed rule is implemented, it will impact the 4% of seafarers from this survey denied shore leave because of terminal access.

Shore leave is not only critical for the health and well-being of seafarers but also for productive and safe vessel operations. Seafarers live out their professional lives on board a ship; they work, live, eat, sleep, and socialize with the same crew for the duration of their contract. Their only respite from these confines comes at the opportunity for shore leave.

Download the complete survey results at http://smschur.ch/shoreleave2015.

About SCI

Founded in 1834 and affiliated with the Episcopal Church, though nondenominational in terms of its trustees, staff and service to mariners, the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York & New Jersey (SCI) is the largest, most comprehensive mariners’ agency in North America. Annually, its chaplains visit thousands of vessels in the Port of New York and New Jersey, the Port of Oakland, and along 2,200 miles of America’s inland waterways and into the Gulf of Mexico. SCI’s maritime education facilities provide navigational training to nearly 1,600 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities located in Houston, TX and Paducah, KY. The Institute and its maritime attorneys are recognized as leading advocates for merchant mariners by the United States Government, including the US Congress, the US Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labor Organization and maritime trade associations.

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