The Shore Leave Crisis Affecting Seafarers

A landmark 2024 survey by the ITF Seafarers' Trust and World Maritime University, involving nearly 6,000 seafarers, revealed a shocking truth:

• more than one in four seafarers received no shore leave during their most recent contract,

• while another third was allowed ashore just once or twice.

Shore leave, once considered a basic right of maritime employment, is becoming, in the researchers' words, "rare, brief and in danger of extinction." This is not merely a welfare concern; it is a crisis of safety, human rights, and industry sustainability that threatens the future of maritime labour.

The Problem

Unlike any other profession, seafarers live and work in the same confined space for months on end, unable to leave their workplace even for an hour. A brief shore visit offers crucial psychological relief: the chance to walk on solid ground, breathe fresh air, and interact with people beyond their crewmates.

The systematic denial of this basic human need has created a cascade of problems. The 2024 Seafarers Happiness Index recorded a decline in crew satisfaction, with seafarers expressing "palpable frustration, even anger" at being confined to ships.

Research has consistently shown that seafarers with regular shore leave report significantly better mental health, job satisfaction, and overall wellbeing. Conversely, those denied these breaks experienced mounting stress, isolation, and fatigue, which affected both their personal welfare and professional performance.

Contributing Factors

Multiple systemic issues converge to diminish shore leave opportunities:

• Operational pressures such as Just-in-time port operations leave no downtime for crews, while skeleton crewing levels mean no one is available to cover duties.

• Round-the-clock cargo operations keep crews constantly "on call," and voyage scheduling prioritises speed over crew welfare.

• Regulatory requirements mean that seafarers often face an impossible choice between mandatory rest hours and shore leave. During brief port stays, this effectively denies them both.

• Complex visa requirements and nationality-based restrictions, along with port fees and a lack of affordable shore transportation, hinder shore leave.

• Excessive security protocols treat seafarers as security risks, and administrative delays consume limited port time.

Shore leave can be viewed as an operational inconvenience rather than a necessity, with limited inclusion of crew welfare in voyage planning. There is a lack of advocacy for junior crew members' rights, and management cultures discourage requests for time ashore.

Despite the end of COVID-19 emergency measures, many ports maintain restrictive policies developed during the health crisis, continuing to treat seafarers as potential disease vectors rather than essential workers.

Why This Matters

Extended confinement on board ships without shore access directly correlates with higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Without breaks from the shipboard environment, seafarers become prone to emotional exhaustion and burnout, and in extreme cases, suicidal ideation. Fatigued and demoralised seafarers make more mistakes during complex operations.

Studies have linked reduced shore leaves with decreased concentration, slower response times, and increased accident risk. A crew member who has not stepped on land for months is more likely to make critical errors.

Shore leave restrictions drive talent away from maritime careers. New entrants increasingly cite confinement policies as deterrents, while experienced seafarers choose not to return to the sea, citing a deteriorating quality of life and isolation. This exacerbates the industry's growing crew shortage crisis.

Under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006), seafarers are explicitly entitled to shore leave "for the benefit of their health and wellbeing." Systematic denial violates international law and undermines basic human dignity.

The maritime industry is beginning to respond with targeted interventions. The ITF and World Maritime University's 2024 report calls for renewed enforcement of MLC standards and collective action by flag states, port authorities, and shipowners. New amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention adopted in 2025 explicitly strengthen seafarers' shore leave rights and require port states to facilitate crew access without undue formalities.

Current Initiatives

• Voyage planning: Progressive shipping companies are now incorporating shore leave planning into their voyage schedules.

• Funding frontline welfare services: Each and every year The Seafarers’ Charity contributes substantial funding to the core running costs of maritime welfare charities such as Stella Maris, Mission to Seafarers and Sailors Society. Our unrestricted funding helps them to continue to deliver port-based welfare services which include ship visiting, provision of seafarer centres and port-based transport services in ports in the UK and around the world.

• Funding 24/7 virtual welfare support: In recognition that welfare support may be needed at times other than in port, The Seafarers’ Charity also fund virtual welfare services that are available 24/7 and 365 days every year. One example is our annual contribution to Seafarer Help – a confidential multi-lingual advice line run by the International Seafarers Welfare & Assistance Network (ISWAN). Another important virtual service is the specialist emotional support service offered by Befrienders Worldwide for seafarers who are experiencing emotional distress.

Joint advocacy efforts are pushing for transparent, standardised shore leave policies. Research initiatives are documenting the business case for crew welfare investments.

The Way Forward

Providing access to shore leave is not just ethical; it is strategically essential. Research shows that healthier, more rested crews perform better, remain longer in their roles, and ensure safer vessel operations. Companies with high levels of crew welfare report lower accident rates, improved retention, and reduced recruitment costs.

To improve access to shore leave, the following priorities need to occur:

• Transparent monitoring of access to shore leave across all routes.

• Resolving the regulatory conflicts between mandatory rest hours and shore leave by ensuring effective operational planning even during short stays in port.

• Revising port and ship schedules to allow meaningful crew breaks.

• Reducing visa and security clearance barriers through international cooperation.

• Incentivising best practice ports through recognition and certification schemes.

The maritime sector must re-establish shore leave as an essential component of life at sea—not a forgotten privilege but a guaranteed right. This requires a cultural shift that views crew welfare as fundamental to operational success, not an optional extra. The current crisis demands an urgent and coordinated response. Shore leave is not about tourism or entertainment; it is about basic human dignity and operational safety. Every stakeholder in the maritime supply chain plays a role in ensuring that seafarers can access this fundamental right.

The message is clear: treating seafarers humanely is not just morally imperative; it is essential for sustainable, safe maritime operations. The 1.9 million people who keep global trade moving deserve the basic dignity of occasionally stepping onto dry land. As the industry faces growing crew shortages and safety challenges, ensuring regular shore leave opportunities is not optional; it is fundamental to the sector's future survival.