Seafarers often work long and irregular hours. The Maritime Labour Convention sets limits on maximum hours of work and minimum hours of rest. But shipping companies undermine them routinely – circumventing minimum safe manning standards, overworking crew beyond maximum overtime levels, and relying on exploitative working conditions to maintain tight schedules. Cumulative fatigue reduces alertness, impairs decision-making and increases the risk of accidents, injuries and fatalities.
Evidence from the World Maritime University shows fatigue is widespread and underreported:
- 93% of seafarers identify fatigue as the most common safety-related challenge on board.
- Seafarers average around 75 hours a week, and 90% work seven days a week.
- 64% of seafarers have adjusted or falsified their work and rest records, 80% of them to pass inspections, and 75% to avoid problems with the shipping company.
Weak oversight lets shipping companies cut operating costs by pushing crews beyond safe limits through excessive working hours and unsafe manning. Crews are forced to take on expanded tasks without adequate training or staffing, intensifying workload and risk. Lashing – the securing of containers to the deck of a vessel – is one such task, which should only be carried out by trained dock workers with the ship berthed securely in port, not underway at sea when seafarers should be resting.
When isolated at sea, seafarers may feel unable to refuse unsafe work or report fatigue for fear of retaliation or blacklisting. Fatigue has to be recognised as a systemic risk, with safe crewing levels, realistic scheduling and work organisation aligned to rights and international labour standards.