Shore leave (seafaring)

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As ashore lasting several hours, leaving a ship is by individual crew members or the entire crew during the time spent in port or at anchor called. Going ashore is intended to alleviate the long-term restricted freedom of movement and the associated psychological stress. Going ashore is often necessary, for example, to transfer wages to the family, but it is also necessary for medical treatments that go beyond the rudimentary possibilities directly on board.

The right to go ashore is enshrined in the Maritime Labor Convention and in various national laws such as the German Maritime Labor Act . Shorter lay times, decreasing number of crews on board, difficult transport conditions as well as increasingly restrictive security and entry regulations on land make it increasingly difficult to exercise this right.

Also program items on land within the scope of cruises are called shore leave.

Emergence

The right to go ashore has existed since ancient times.

Today seafarers are often at sea for many months at a time, where they often only have limited opportunities to communicate with people other than the crew. Going ashore and visiting sailors' clubs are often the only way to communicate with family or friends for months. Going ashore often offers the only chance for sensory impressions that do not affect the ship, some technical port facilities or the sea. Going ashore is intended to alleviate the consequences of the long-term restricted freedom of movement on board a ship and the associated physical and psychological stress.

Legal situation

The right to go ashore is primarily enshrined in the Maritime Labor Convention , which came into force in 2013. The Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic requires the signatory states not to request visas for seafarers on shore leave. If a visa is required, the shipowner must pay the costs according to the Maritime Labor Convention. In German law, shore leave is laid down in Section 35 of the Maritime Labor Act. This should take place during the time off duty.

In Germany, the waterway police or the Federal Border Police issue shore permits that enable seafarers to go ashore without going through a complete immigration procedure.

Practical implementation

Shuttle of the Duckdalben sailors' club, which brings sailors off board

Before containerization began , when goods were still bagged or shipped as general cargo , the lay times in the ports and thus the possibility of going ashore were often sufficient for the crew.

Today, rapid handling ( unloading and loading ) of a ship in the port is what counts, and berthing times have been reduced considerably. For example, if in 1972 75% of the ships were in port for four days or more, this had shrunk by 1998 to the fact that 80% of the ships were in port for less than a day. Since then, times have continued to shrink. Especially with smaller feeder ships , the length of stay is often only a few hours.

The possibility of going ashore is often only available to a limited extent in cargo shipping. To make matters worse, the relevant container terminals are often far from the city. If the ports were historically located in or near the city center, they migrated to industrial areas that are often several kilometers away from the city center and can often only be reached by car - which is not available to seafarers - within a reasonable period of time. For security reasons, these are often not allowed to be entered on foot, and taxis are also denied access to the terminal for the same reason. The seafarers are dependent on shuttles from the terminal operator or on shuttles from one of the numerous seafaring missions that are located in a port.

The increasing number of crews on ships means that larger parts of the crew are often assigned to watch . Even if the right to go ashore exists in theory, this must be exercised during the off-duty period. If the whole crew has to work in the port, it is not possible to go ashore.

Increasing security measures, especially through the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code , are constantly increasing the time and effort required for seafarers to be able to come ashore legally. Although this is not allowed according to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL), some states require seafarers to have a visa for the restricted time of entry . This creates additional time and financial barriers. According to a survey by the Seamen's Church Institute Center for Seafarer's Rights in the USA in 2014, the main reason for the failure to go ashore was the refusal of visas by the USA. Some countries also refuse seafarers to go ashore.

Social services for seafarers

In view of the often short lay times and the problems of even getting to the actual port city, the only way for many seafarers to get ashore is to visit a social facility for seafarers (seaman's club, seaman's home , Seafarers Lounge) in or near the harbor . Here there is, for example, the possibility of calling the family or getting simple medical care. These facilities are mostly operated by the seaman's missions , other non-governmental organizations or sometimes directly by the state, in Germany for example by the associations of the German seaman's mission .

Remarks

  1. Maritime Coastguard Agency: Implementation of Regulation 2.4.2 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Maritime Labor Convention, 2006 (MLC) on shore leave for seafarer
  2. a b Bubenzer, Noltin, Peetz, Mallach: SeeArbG Commentary, p. 196
  3. a b c d e Seamen's Church Institute Center for Seafarer's Rights: 2014 Shore Leave Survey
  4. ^ A b c Norwegian Center for Maritime Medicine (ed.): Textbook of Marine Medicine, Chapter 2.9 Leave, shore leave during voyage - problems
  5. International Labor Organization: Security, seafarers' shore leave and ILO Convention 185 , March 24, 2016
  6. Christian Bubenzer, Runa Jörgens (ed.): Praxishandbuch Searbeitsrecht, ISBN 9783110313222 , p. 195

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