'SEAFAIRER' Roundtable, 2025

To mark the fifth year of the Delivering on Seafarers’ Rights - Code of Conduct, IHRB, SSI, Mission to Seafarers, and the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights co-hosted their annual roundtable event in Singapore on Friday 7th November 2025 in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy in Singapore.

This invitation-only Chatham House Rule roundtable brings together ship owners, operators and managers, charterers, container cargo owners, government representatives, and seafarers’ rights organisations, as well as, importantly, seafarers themselves to look for collective approaches to worker welfare challenges.

The discussions highlighted that the shipping sector is undergoing rapid change but still struggling to meet the basic expectations of seafarers who sustain global trade. 

Opening remarks were given by Norwegian Ambassador to Singapore HE Leif Trana and Panamanian Ambassador to Singapore HE Sebastian Breton.

Seafarer happiness and well-being

Steven Jones, founder of the Seafarers’ Happiness Index, said that shore leave, over-reliance on inspections, and lack of access to amenities such as clean drinking water were among recurring concerns. He emphasised the systemic erosion of how seafarers are valued in port cities and within shipping culture itself. He noted that family engagement and diversity remain persistent gaps, highlighting the emotional strain seafarers face due to long separations and lack of systemic support.

Actions proposed

• Maritime hubs and port authorities should consider some kind of “Blue Port” initiative that prioritises seafarer well-being. This would involve measures such as guaranteeing seafarers’ right to shore leave (in line with MLC provisions) by removing unnecessary visa requirements and providing on-arrival shore passes, improving port welfare infrastructure (e.g. shuttle transport to local seafarer centres, onsite medical clinics, affordable communication facilities), and training port officials to be sensitive to seafarers’ needs.
• Flag States, classification societies, and companies should review and enforce safe manning levels to combat crew fatigue. Regulators are urged to conduct random audits of working and rest hour records, using modern tools like electronic logbooks. P&I clubs and marine insurers can introduce incentives, for instance, offer insurance premium discounts to ship operators who demonstrate strict compliance with work/rest regulations and crew wellness programmes.

Hearing from seafarers on recruitment fees

Testimony from two Indian seafarers offered raw, direct insights into the challenges of maritime work.

One seafarer with 15 years’ experience, described how workers pay between USD 2,000 to 15,000 for recruitment. Another seafarer, with 17 years at sea, said his first job in 2007 cost USD 3,500–6,000. 

Both said that workers sell family jewellery or land, or borrow at high interest rates, to meet these costs. They described a cycle of debt, corruption, and distrust — particularly towards recruitment intermediaries but also in some areas, towards unions.

Both seafarers demanded direct, transparent recruitment pathways and echoed the call for a genuinely free and fair employment market in maritime.

Actions proposed

• Develop targeted assistance for high-risk countries, including:
  1. Awareness campaigns on safe recruitment
  2. Grassroots advisory services
• Pilot family-outreach modules (e.g. pre-departure briefings, mental health support for families, financial literacy) in seafarer-sending communities.
• Promote confidential reporting mechanisms and strengthen independent worker voice platforms, ensuring seafarers can raise grievances without risk.

Hearing from the industry on recruitment fees

In a panel on the issue of recruitment fees, Mark Dickinson (Nautilus International) presented recent amendments to the MLC. He outlined that while 110 countries have ratified the Convention, real impact is undermined by poor enforcement. He argued that the persistence of recruitment fees, illegal under the MLC, represents a failure of both regulatory oversight and supply chain accountability.

Christina Berg (TURTLE) reminded participants of findings from TURTLE’s and IHRB’s research, alongside this year’s mini-survey, showing that recruitment fees remain widespread and a major concern for seafarers. She noted that while awareness has increased, it is important to support companies in gaining greater transparency over recruitment practices further down the chain. She highlighted the links between recruitment-related debt, mental health, and on-board safety, and pointed to the Action Group as a practical industry response to help companies identify and address recruitment fees in practice.

Francesca Fairbairn (IHRB) presented IHRB’s proposed toolkit for companies on eliminating recruitment fees. 

Actions

• IHRB will finalise and publish its toolkit to help companies eliminate recruitment fees in their operations and supply chains. 
• IHRB and TURTLE will expand the action group committed to ending illegal fees. (Please contact Francesca Fairbairn if you’d like to know more or contribute to the toolkit.)
• Outreach and advocacy on responsible recruitment will be increased in key countries of concern, including India and the Philippines, including with reputable crewing agencies and unions, and with seafarers themselves.
• Advocacy with governments, especially major flag States, will be strengthened to ensure effective enforcement of Maritime Labour Convention provisions on recruitment fees.

Update on Maritime Just Transition Task Force

800,000 seafarers will need to be retrained to meet the demands of decarbonisation, with 450,000 requiring training by 2030 alone. The Task Force is developing a competency framework and baseline curriculum on alternative fuels and new ship technologies. The work, undertaken in partnership with the Decarbonisation Hub and ILO/IMO, demonstrates the scale of change coming to maritime work and the urgent need to prepare seafarers, both technically and economically.

Crew Welfare: setting standards and understanding business drivers

Rachel Lock (DNV), Christopher Saunders (RightShip), and Eleanor Besley-Gould (Sustainable Shipping Initiative) proposed a framework to create accountability and thereby improve welfare.

Christopher Saunders noted that while 67% of shipowners claim to go beyond the baseline on welfare, only 27% of charterers offer improved terms and just 7% have crew welfare assessment mechanisms. RightShip’s Crew Welfare Self-Assessment, completed for 15,000 vessels and 660,000 seafarers, is designed to close this gap by offering vessel-level insights.

Rachel Lock and Eleanor Besley-Gould repeated that welfare connects directly to safety, retention, and overall vessel performance. Indicators such as access to water, WiFi, safe manning levels, and mental health provisions are all measurable and can become part of vessel-level reporting.

Actions:

• DNV, Rightship, SSI, IHRB and Mission to Seafarers will move forward with next steps to look at how a system to collect indicators might work as a mechanism to support welfare improvements across industry via the charterer and owner/operator engagement process. 
• The group will consult via IHRB with those from the Seafairer roundtable who would like to be involved in supporting shaping the next steps.