Automatic translation
The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 and its strains has had a detrimental effect on all aspects of human activity. The closure of borders, the condition of compliance with quarantine and the termination of transport links between states were the factors that had the greatest impact on sea freight and passenger traffic. Even at the beginning of the pandemic (in March 2020), after the decision was made to close the borders by many states, it became a problem for many seafarers to change, which led to a general drop in cargo flows. Most of the blow fell on container shipping, especially in the Asian region. Employment problem The key problem of seafarers' employment in the context of a pandemic continues to be the issue of boarding a ship and further compliance with quarantine measures. Back in early June 2020, the world community was actively discussing options for solving this problem and the situation with seafarers who were actually "locked" on ships, unable to return home, and sometimes even simply go ashore. The developed and implemented complexes of measures by the ILO and WHO have stabilized this situation. Nevertheless, against the backdrop of a decrease in the number of cargo transportation, there is a steady increase in the income of sea shipping companies. This is due to the fact that in the context of the pandemic, many logistics supply chains were interrupted, which, in turn, forced many companies to turn to sea routes. Shipping companies have taken advantage of the situation to inflate freight rates and have peaked since 2008. In this regard, the seafarers' labor market is now witnessing a steady growth in demand for specialists with experience in working on container ships. With regard to Ukrainian seafarers and their employment, one cannot ignore the fact that, according to representatives of large shipping companies, about 35% of seafarers do not want or are afraid to get vaccinated. Having a certificate of vaccination is now considered a prerequisite for getting a job at sea and there is no way to get around this rule. So, if you want to work at sea, be sure to get vaccinated. Unpleasant aspect It is impossible to ignore the unpleasant aspect of employment in a pandemic. Considering all the difficulties with work and work options at sea, various kinds of fraudulent organizations have become active, which, under the guise of the names of well-known companies, send emails to seafarers looking for work. In the letters, the scammers promise a device for large ships with tempting conditions and for a short time in exchange for a certain amount of money. At least two cases of fraud on behalf of companies such as Royal Caribbean International and Princess Cruises have received widespread publicity. Therefore, in any case, if you have been actively looking for work for a long time, you cannot grab the first offer that comes across, Thus, the transport sector, especially sea freight, was among the most affected industries due to the pandemic. Now it is difficult to assess future prospects due to the periodically emerging new strains of the virus and the inability to vaccinate 90 percent of the population. In this regard, it is difficult to predict the future situation on the labor market for seafarers, but the trend towards a decrease in options for quick and trouble-free employment, even through crewing companies, is becoming more and more distinct. This does not mean that the situation is hopeless and hopeless, however, without the adoption of appropriate steps by all world states and ship-owning companies, the state of affairs will not improve.
