World Maritime Day: what are the major challenges facing seafarers?

Seafarers make trade possible, but too often they are being exploited, and the risks they face are getting worse. During recent armed conflicts, seafarers have not only been caught in the crossfire, but directly targeted. 

What are the most pressing challenges facing seafarers? What protections do they need? What action is needed from the maritime industry? Are there examples of shipping companies getting it right?

On World Maritime Day, IHRB’s Francesca Fairbairn speaks to Ben Bailey and Father Stephen Thanapaul from Mission to Seafarers, one of the world’s oldest charities that supports millions of seafarers. Together they discuss the scale of exploitation, the toll it takes on seafarers and their families, and the urgent action needed from industry. Their conversations explore endemic issues such as illegal recruitment fees and growing cases of ‘abandonment’.

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Host: Deborah Sagoe, IHRB's Communications Coordinator
Producer & Editor: Helen Brown
Additional Contributors: Sam Simmons, IHRB's Head of Communications