A leading Felixstowe councillor has expressed concerns about seafarers transiting through the largest port in Europe suffering severe mental health issues at not being able to get home.

Doreen Savage MBE, told fellow Felixstowe town councillors at a recent meeting, how one seaman locked himself in his cabin until being told he would allowed to go home, only to learn he could got get a flight in time before his ship sailed, and was not allowed to stay in the town.

She also reported how Chinese sailors coming ashore in the resort had been verbally abused due to the pandemic starting in China.

"There was an unfortunate incident of verbal abuse levelled at Chinese seamen that were using the town just before lockdown but when the pandemic had started in China," Cllr Savage said at the meeting.

"The port user represented said it was a very poor reflection on Felixstowe and people should remember how important seaman are for the wellbeing of all of us with the goods they bring to the nation."

Mark Jepson, Felixstowe mayor, said such behaviour was not acceptable and blamed a small minority within the town.

Cllr Jepson said: "It is a shame that we have such a wonderful town but unfortunately, like a majority of towns, we have a small minority of people who do not represent the town but can do a lot of damage as an individual."

Seafarers may have to travel thousands of kilometres to reach their ships, or return home. Since the pandemic, commercial flights have been significantly reduced and it has become more difficult to obtain visas or travel permits through certain transit countries, especially those where borders have been closed.

That has meant crews that were supposed to operate on a 10 week, or a three-month, rotation contract, have had to stay on board for six months or more, and in some extreme cases more than a year, putting an intolerable mental health strain on thousands of seafarers.

Cllr Savage told councillors: "A seaman who had been on board a ship for some time and developed mental health problems. Apparently he shut himself in his cabin refusing to work or explaining what was wrong.

"This situation continued from port to port and eventually the ship arrived in Felixstowe. A welfare visitor went on board, managed to speak to the seaman who said he wanted to go home.

"Arrangements were made for a flight some 72 hours hence, but due to the current rules he would only have been allowed off the ship if the flight had been within a 24 hour period.

"He was not repatriated and had to spend several more weeks on the ship before he could get home."

Subsequently, the ship had to sail with the seaman on board and it wasn't until the boat arrived at another port that arrangements were made for the seaman to leave the ship and return to his home.

"Reports on his welfare were followed up and he was absolutely fine once he returned home."

Nub News contacted the International Labour Organization (ILO) that represents workers worldwide who believe as many as 200,000 seafarers have been stranded at sea, or struggled be repatriated, at any one time.

Former Naval officer Wagner Brandt, Head of the Transport and Maritime Unit ILO, understands the challenges experienced by stranded crew members.

"The sea can be tough," said Mr Brandt. "When the weather's bad it's pretty awful. Also, those onboard are living for several months in the same place that they're working.

"These days the industry is highly efficient, so a container ship can be unloaded and loaded in a few hours. Ports are now some distance from town centres and, in the case of oil tankers, you might be discharging or taking on oil, at an off-shore facility. So, seafarers have fewer opportunities to disembark than they did in the past. It can be very isolating."

The Maritime Labour Convention, often referred to as the seafarers bill of rights, sets out the minimum working conditions for all seafarers, including provisions such as the minimum hours of rest, occupational safety and health, and states that no seafarers should be at sea for more than 11 months. The vast majority of the ships in the world are flying the flag of States that have ratified this convention.

Mr Brandt added: "There are still problems, of course, such as low pay, seafarers forced to work long hours, or abuse, but this is why we have international instruments, to set minimum work standards, and see that they are enforced."

Following a ministerial summit held in the UK last week, 13 countries committed to recognising seafarers as key workers, and facilitating crew changes in ports such as Felixstowe and Harwich.

The cause has also been taken up at the highest levels of the UN, with Secretary-General António Guterres expressing concern about a growing ocean-bound humanitarian and safety crisis, and praising the 'unheralded contribution' of seafarers to the global economy, and bringing life-saving supplies to civilians trapped in conflict zones, such as Yemen.

Felixstowe has a branch of the Seafarers Mission and Cllr Savage has a close liaison with the Merchant Navy Welfare Board.