Sailors’ Society Launches COVID-19 Helpline

International maritime welfare charity Sailors’ Society has launched a dedicated helpline for seafarers and their families.

The confidential, 24 hour service is there to offer support and welfare to those worried or adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Sandra Welch, the charity’s COO and director of program, said: “We’ve seen an increase in calls for help and advice of late and there’s a lot of uncertainty, so our new dedicated Covid-19 helpline is a welcome addition to our services.

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Seafarers feel unsupported during pandemic, report reveals

Seafarers’ happiness has been lower for the first quarter of 2020, with clear concerns about current safety and welfare provision for those serving at sea during the COVID-19 crisis, according to the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report. Seafarers are urgently calling for improved connectivity between shore and sea and the need for greater support across the industry during this unprecedented time.

The latest Seafarers Happiness Index, published today by The Mission to Seafarers in association with the Shipowners’ Club and Wallem Group, focused on the impact of COVID-19 and areas, such as workload, social interaction and shore leave, where its effects are being felt most keenly.

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Cruise passengers have gone home, but the crews that looked after them are still stuck at sea

(CNN) — Most cruise passengers have made their way back home, and the vast ships that once ferried them from port to port are moored up or back on the water, relocating for the next stage in their journeys.
But what about the crews that kept these gigantic vessels going, and looked after guests as panic over the coronavirus swept across the oceans?
For many of those working in the cruise industry, the nightmare of being aboard a ship that had carried people with coronavirus has continued — sometimes without an end in sight.