Occupational Health on Merchant Ships during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic burdened the working and living conditions of seafaring personnel with particular challenges. The present study investigated the health and occupational burden of 301 multinational seafarers from merchant ships using self-administered questionnaires. The survey was carried out between September and November 2021 on the occasion of SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations at the Port of Hamburg, Germany. Participants generally reported good physical and mental health status while general burden perception increased compared to pre-pandemic levels. Three-quarters of seafarers reported experiencing shore-leave denial at least once throughout the pandemic. In summary, the study reveals the substantial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the perceived occupational burden of seafaring personnel.

Keywords

• occupational health
• workload
• shore leave
• seafarer
• cargo ships
• maritime transport