By Wasana Nadeeshani Sellahewa
(Commonwealth) _ On the anniversary of the Ukraine War, which had a significant influence on crewing rotations and seafarer welfare, Danica Crewing Specialists reported that Ukrainian seafarers have mostly returned to international ships, therefore restoring balance in crew availability.
Crew levels have returned to what they were before to the Russian invasion as a result of Ukrainian seafarers and their families’ tenacity in the face of dreadful suffering, who are now mostly stationed in other European nations and many of them are cutting short their shore leave periods.
Danica Crewing Specialists CEO Henrik Jensen described how the crewing situation has changed over the past year: “Before the war started, nearly 60% of Ukrainian seafarers were aboard merchant ships. Some wanted to go back home right once, but the majority stayed on board, and when their tenure was about to finish as scheduled, as long as their families were secure, they requested to stay longer to ensure an income.
“When sailors were reunited with their families who had fled to other nations during the course of the summer, the situation altered. At this time, many of them prolonged their shore leave breaks, which temporarily reduced the number of relievers available.
The most current ICS/BIMCO Seafarer Workforce Survey has Ukraine at the top of the list of nations expected to provide seafarers in the future. It is a nation with a lengthy maritime heritage; in fact, there are senior officers in Ukraine whose families have been seafarers for three generations.
Ukrainian seamen have been through a difficult period. Several seamen have started to share their stories one year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Three of these mariners discussed their memories of what took place when tanks and missiles descended on their nation in conversation with Danica Crewing Experts.
Although those on shore leave within Ukraine felt the trauma and privations of war, those at sea endured days of anxiety and worry about their relatives back home caught up in the battle. The captain described how Mariupol had experienced “heavy bombing” that largely devastated its infrastructure. “All the marketplaces were devastated,” he declared. They lacked warmth and power, and it was -15 degrees outdoors! They had to go outdoors and fetch water from a source.
The risky voyage over Ukraine and into Bulgaria, where his daughter was born, was accomplished by his wife and children. Regrettably, the Captain’s parents first resisted leaving their house, and contact with them was broken for a while.
He explained how he sought to learn about them via social media platforms and how he eventually learned that they had arrived in a different place via an internet buddy. He related how they contacted him many hours later and sobbedly detailed their ordeal, comparing it to “a scary movie.” A portion of Danica’s large crew pool was stranded in heavily-fought locations like Mariupol and Kherson.
A 25-year-old seafarer described how he and his mother, grandpa, and ailing grandmother were imprisoned in Kherson for three months while his father was serving at sea while the city was under Russian occupation. The family took refuge in a cellar for a large portion of this period. The seafarer ultimately managed to escape and head back out to sea despite his fears of being abducted by Russian soldiers.
It’s clear that they are grieving. It currently feels like a book without a conclusion, the Master said. We lost everything, and all we have left is enough for a bag. The 25-year-old seafarer remarked, “Ukrainians are among the greatest sailors in the business, and this circumstance simply increases our desire to maintain this rank. We must maintain a high standard as our fighters defend our country.
