Slow boat to nowhere: coronavirus leaves exploited fishing crew members stuck on the high seas

Hundreds of thousands of seafarers are estimated to be trapped at sea because of travel restrictions, with little chance of returning home

Labour groups and the UN have called on governments to help in the repatriations of the crew members, who are often subject to abusive working conditions

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Indonesian police removing the body of an Indonesian crew member who was killed on board a fishing vessel off Batam Island in July. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:00pm, 18 Oct 2020Updated: 3:29pm, 20 Oct 2020

For the thousands of fishing industry workers and crew members who boarded their employers’ vessels before the coronavirus outbreak, most thought that before long they would be back from the journeys to their homes and families. For many, though, a few weeks or months have turned into an indefinite period at sea, while others have been left with unpaid salaries, or worse, with no job at all.

Labour groups and advocates have warned of a spike in exploitative practices aboard the boats and have called on governments to find solutions to the issue and help fishermen who have been stuck at sea for months or have been left stranded on foreign soil after being dumped there, many deeply in debt and without valid documentation.

The United Nations has estimated that more than 300,000 members of this hidden workforce have been trapped at sea due to travel restrictions, border closures and other measures introduced by governments to contain the spread of Covid-19. Many face exploitation that can entail sleep deprivation, limited access to food and clean water, low salaries and gruelling working hours, with the pandemic putting them in an even more vulnerable situation.

“Some seafarers have been at the sea well beyond their contracts, and others are stuck on the land without a job,” said Darian McBain, head of sustainability at Thai Union Group, one of the world’s largest seafood producers.

McBain, who is an advisory board member of the International Labour Organisation’s Business Network on Forced Labour and Human Trafficking, said monitoring of conditions at sea for the workers has been nearly impossible.