Total Lockdown - Seafarers Life Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic

Viral diseases are not really new to our world. Diseases like chicken pox, spanish flu, influenza, yellow fever, SARS and many more exist until now. Our ancestors suffer more than we are experiencing today, because that time technologies are limited or they still don't know what to do. Thousands, even millions have died in those time, and it's not yet totally eradicated. We are thankful to those people who discovered and created a vaccines to stopped and controlled those viruses.

And today another viral disease spreading on earth. In order to prevent this Covid-19 in spreading, government officials around the world imposing mandatory lockdowns just to contain the virus. Means you're not allowed to go outside unless it's essential. People's don't have a choice but to follow. This is the only way, eventhough human civilizations advanced so much in technologies, cure is far from our reach.

The drawbacks are you can't go to your job, so, no salary, and you can't visit your relatives or have a vacation. Without jobs people's can't feed their families so they must get cash aid from their governments or they will die in hunger. Some are working at home, thanks to the internet, but some cannot, either they can't afford it or their jobs environment are different.

How about seafarers around the world? Are they affected too? How are they? For seafarers who are on board is not a problem, we are receiving monthly salaries with free foods and accommodations. We can continously provide our families. But we also need to sacrifice something, and that is, we must stay on board more than our contract or even longer. And to those who are on vacation too, they need to wait longer before they can get onboard and for that reason there's no salary. They are now more than one year in vacation and some are now in huge debts just to survive in this difficult situation.

It's like a win-win situations, seafarers who are onboard fortunate enough that they have a job but can't be with their love ones. And to those at home, they don't have a job but can be with their families in this difficult times. We must accept the fact that it's beyond our control and we really must sacrifice for these. All of us are affected, and we can't do anything about it unless someone or somehow they can create a vaccines.

Life on board is really hard, and especially more harder this time, also if their assigned vessels are trading in long voyages. It is hard that during these times we can't avoid to keep thinking of our love ones at home because of this crisis. And we must be keep updated by them so that we are assured that they are safe, thankfully ships nowadays equipped with internet(free or with pay), we can contact them anytime. Unfortunately other ships didn't have internet connection, and rely only to free email on board. Some have satellite phone installed, we can make a call but you need to pay and it's more expensive. So we must wait until our ship will arrive on port in order to buy internet card. Working on ships becomes more and more harder than before, but ofcourse unlike in long time ago.

Covid-19 hindered not only land activities but also in maritime especially crew rotations. In order for us to go home, we also need to wait until airlines are back in operations and when restrictions will be lifted. Shore leave is also suspended so we must stay on ship all the time. It's a total lock down for us, at sea or at port.

Maritime organizations are doing their best effort to make these crew changes possible. According to them seafarers are also key workers that must have privileges. Maritime industry is very important during this crisis. Large percentage of products around the globe are transported via sea going vessels. Governments are now taking actions and assigning new protocols to follow, for us to go home safe and make our economy going.

Seafarers must not stay on board for a longer period of time. It will affect not only our health but also our capacity to work, and it may result to more accidents, that's why crew change is really important. Companies are doing their best to support their crew on board and on shore. On board, they keep updating us to what is happening now and sending us email on how to make ourselves safe. They also arranged a mental health program, so we can talk to someone via free hotline to give us some counseling and ask for advices. Supplies essential in fight for Corona virus are provided. On shore, they launched some video conference to assure us that the company can get us on board when there's a chance or when allowed, and also giving us trainings online so there's no need for us to go outside.

In this crucial time we must stay stronger and help each other to overcome this pandemic. We must understand every situations, and we really need to sacrifice, because it's not only for the benefit of one but it is for all of us. Blaming will only send us nowhere, we must move forward.

Covid-19 vaccine is still a long way to achieve, hoping it will not take years. Maintaining proper hygiene and wearing mask in public is our only weapon against this coronavirus.

To all seafarers around the globe stay safe and healthy.
Seafarers are key workers.