Gemiadamları refah değerlendirmesi
Welfare assessment of seafarers
Yazar: YUNUS EMRE ELÇİ
Danışman: DR. ÖĞR. ÜYESİ ELİF BAL BEŞİKÇİ
İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi / Lisansüstü Eğitim Enstitüsü / Deniz Ulaştırma Mühendisliği Ana Bilim Dalı / Deniz Ulaştırma Mühendisliği Bilim Dalı
Derece: Yüksek Lisans, 2022
Konu: Deniz Bilimleri = Marine Science ; Denizcilik = Marine
Dizin: Denizcilik sektörü = Maritime sector ; Gemi adamları = Seafarers ; Refah = Welfare

Özet:
Denizcilik sektörü, dünya ticaret ve taşımacılık hacminin %90'ı gibi çok büyük bir oran ile dünya ekonomisine katkı sağlamaktadır. Denizcilik sektörünün bu etki ve katkısında, deniz çalışanlarının büyük emeği vardır. Denizcilik tarihine bakıldığında, süregelen dönemlerde gemiadamlarının haklarını gözeten konvansiyon, kod ve kuralların yakın tarihe kadar belirlenmekte geç kalınmıştır. İlk olarak 1974 yılında SOLAS (Denizde Can Emniyeti Konvansiyonu), sonrasında 1978 yılında STCW (Gemiadamlarının Eğitim, Belgelendirme ve Vardiya Tutma Standartları) ile gemiadamlarına temel haklar belirlenip gözetilmeye başlandı. 2006 yılına gelindiğinde; MLC 2006 (Deniz İş Konvansiyonu) gündeme alınıp ve çalışmaların tamamlandığı 2013 yılında yürürlüğe girmiştir. Bu konvansiyon gemiadamlarına çalışma dinlenme saatlerinden, mutfaktaki hijyene kadar detaylı haklar tanımaktadır.
Gemiadamlarının hakları ile ilgili çalışmalara bu denli geç kalınması gemiadamlarının geçmişten günümüze kadar refah düzeylerini oldukça kötü etkilemiştir. Günümüzde yürürlüğe giren birçok kod ve konvansiyon ile gemiadamlarının iş yükü artarken gemilerde personel sayısının giderek azaldığı görülmektedir. İş yükündeki artış ile gemiadamlarının refahı olumsuz etkilenmektedir. Bu koşullarda gemiadamlarının haklarının ne derecede gözetildiğini ve yürürlükte olan konvansiyonların katkısını incelemek adına anket çalışması uygulanmıştır. 507 gemiadamının refah konusundaki cevaplarına ve anket ölçeği dışında şahsi görüşlerine başvurulmuştur. Anket sonuç verileri ile değerlendirme ve analizler yapılmıştır. Tespit edilen sonuçlar ile gemiadamlarının refah düzeyinin tespiti, çalışılan grup üzerinden değerlendirilmiştir. Bu çalışmanın ana amaçları: (i) gemiadamlarının refah düzeyinin tespit ve bildirimi (ii) gemiadamlarının gelecekteki refah seviyelerini iyileştirme sürecini tahminlemek ve önemini vurgulamak; (iii) gemiadamlarının refah düzeylerinin iyileştirilmesi için yorum ve tavsiyelerde bulunmaktır.
Gemiadamları refahı, denizdeki çalışma ve yaşam standartları düşünüldüğünde dikkat gösterilmesi gereken önemli bir husustur. Gemiadamı refahının denizcilikteki gelişmelere uygun standartlar oluşturularak mevcut şartlara uyumlu hale getirilmesi gerekmektedir. Bu bağlamda, çalışmaların, araştırma ve geliştirme faaliyetlerinin başlaması ve gelecek konusunda tespit ve iyileştirmelerin gelişmesinde her bir çalışmanın önemli bir yeri ve rolü olacaktır.
Böylece, gemiadamları refahının tespiti ve irdelenme sonuçları ile deniz çalışanlarının genel refah düzeylerinin durumu incelenmiştir. Hangi alanlarda sorunların olduğu ve hangi alanlar ile daha çok ilgilenilmesi gerektiği konusunda bir tespit oluşturulmuştur. Denizcilik sektörünün kilit personelleri olan gemiadamlarının yaşam ve çalışma şartlarının iyileşmesine katkı sağlamak amaçlanmıştır.

Abstract:
The maritime sector contributes to the world economy as much as 90% of the world trade and transportation volume. Marine employees who provide sea voyages of ships of all types and tonnages have a great contribution to this effect and contribution of the maritime industry. Considering the history of the maritime sector, it is seen that the conventions, codes, and rules that protect the rights of seafarers in the ongoing periods could not be determined until recent times. Firstly, SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea Convention) and then STCW (Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Standards of Seafarers) were tried to protect seafarers and their rights. In 2006, MLC 2006 (Maritime Labor Convention) came into the agenda and entered into force in 2013 with the completion of the works. This convention gives detailed rights for seafarers, from working rest hours to hygiene in the kitchen.
Because of the delays in studies on seafarers' rights has severely affected the welfare of seafarers from past to present. With many codes and conventions enacted in today's maritime sector, the workload of seafarers has increased, while the number of crew on board has gradually decreased and the welfare of seafarers is negatively affected by the increase in workload and the fact that their rights are still not observed. To monitor and examine the extent to which the rights of seafarers are respected and whether the conventions in force have contributed to them, the answers to the welfare issues of 507 seafarers and their personal opinions other than the survey scale were consulted to evaluate and analyze them. The determination of the level of welfare of seafarers with the detected results was evaluated over the group studied. The main objectives of this study are: (i) determining and reporting the welfare level of seafarers (ii) predicting and emphasizing the process of improving the future welfare of seafarers.
This study is based upon a questionnaire and 507 respondents and their opinion and responses, a few SPSS analyzes to determine a general level for welfare and predict the obstacles and real reasons which reduces the level of welfare. With the SPSS Analyzes; Factor Analyze, Correlation Analyzes and Reliability Analyzes, study methodology is significant, valid, and reliable. In the study, there is scale answers which are rated by seafarers with a number from 1 (poor) to 5(Excellent), other than these scale answers, questionnaire has a comment opinion sections in the end of questionnaire. Seafarers have shared their opinions regarding the welfare and working conditions in the maritime sectors. In the general mean, seafarers are telling us that they have a lot of work on board because of inadequate crew members on board. On the other hand, there are a lot of code, convention, regulation, and rules to have been implemented on board and nowadays stills a few rules, conventions and codes will enter in force in the upcoming days. General comments says that all parties ignore the seafarers' welfare standard and working conditions are getting worse, in addition to that qualification of seafarers are also decreasing, especially in coaster sized vessels, seafarers can face problems because of unqualified crew members. 


By taking into consideration of this issue, it seems that seafarers' welfare will be effected by a lot of conditions as upcoming codes, regulations, conventions, rules to be implemented in the upcoming days, after implementation seafarers will have new responsibilities  a lot of conditions as unqualified crew members, inadequate crew members on board and fatigue because of this adequacy, as a lot of conditions covering   ignore of seafarers' rights by Flag States, Port States and Authorities, Classification societies who are responsible to inspect the all necessary items and issues regarding seafarers' welfare and rights in the view of MLC 2006.
This study has been chosen because of that there is a few studies or articles in literature, not adequate research in this matter but this issue has a high importance for seafarers' rights. While seafarers are facing problems in the regard of their rights including their non-ending contract periods, repatriation problems, not getting a reasonable salaries, workload problems because of inadequate crew members and long watchkeeping periods, insufficient provisions and insufficient basic needs, despite of all issues, items which are the basic standards for welfare and rights are not being inspected by any local port state authorities, vessel flag state inspectors or any classifications societies. Therefore, the welfare of seafarers is decreasing day by day, and new problems are occurring in the maritime sector like stress, fatigue. New kind of problems started to obstacle seafarers' qualification of job skills, awareness, attention for performing their works in safe. Due to the new kind of problems, the amount of ship accidents, deaths, ending carriers on ships are highly increasing in todays. 
Considering all these conditions, studies on the welfare of seafarers should have more importance than current times. Upon increasing in the studies of the welfare of seafarers will have a lot of contributions to seafarers' welfare, their work conditions, and a lot of amendments in their work life on board and leave life on shore. With the increase of number of studies on the welfare of seafarers, it will attract the interest and attention of all parties covering IMO notably. After their interest and attention to seafarers' welfare, memorandums, flag states, classification societies and third-party organizations like ITF might be instructed by IMO to pay more attention and interest to vessel in the general view of MLC 2006 including seafarers' rights, welfares especially working and living conditions, and the standards of a merchant ship.    
As a result of the study, showing that there are a lot of problems on boards which effect the seafarers in all issues regarding their work and live conditions on board. On the other hand, the standards of work and live conditions have high difference depends on vessel types on tonnages. Once we looked the average results, a few seafarers' level of welfare is low (rate: 1.5-2/5), other group of seafarers' levels of welfare is high (rate 4-5/5). It shows that there is not any standard for seafarers' working and living conditions in maritime sectors. In the general summary of MLC 2006, it instructs that all seafarers in same ranks should have same rights and conditions on board without any discrimination in gender, in race etc. Therefore, one of the goals of this study is to show shipping industry and seafarers need standards which to be implemented absolutely and equally to all seafarers. 
Consequently, the studies in the welfare will have a quite effect to refresh the maritime sector in welfare issues. In the technology of todays, investors and software engineers can invent a software which can be used in all technological devices as cell phones, computers and all other. Seafarers can rate their companies in all issues to report their companies in both good sides, advantages and bad sides, disadvantages. Results of these rates can be reported to all registered seafarers and all third-party organizations, authorities of flag states, port states and classifications societies. Records can be evaluated from authorities, and they can send inspectors to check the vessels not implementing the rules of MLC 2006 and ILO. On the other hand, seafarers can see the companies how they are good or bad in the seafarers' right and can decide to work any company by taking into consideration the companies' rates in this application. That kind of solutions offer very pleasant and effective contract periods to all seafarers. Thinking the work conditions of seafarers, nowadays, they are facing problems in issues of high workload because of inadequate crew members, sign off problem occurring not sign off in due time, ignoring of seafarers' rights in the inspections performed by local port authorities, port states, flag states, classification societies, companies etc. As it is known to all, there are flags which are classified as black, grey, and white in the standards of IMO. These flags mean quality rate, white is best and black is worst. IMO can create a single standard for vessels and a single quality memorandum for port state inspections. Once we have looked the inspections in memorandum in Paris MOU, Blacksea MOU, Med MOU, USCG Port States, they have different standards and inspections for the vessel. Some of them has so strict inspections and in other side has so flexible inspections. Therefore, maritime sectors need a single MOU for all ports, this will be useful for all regarding parties.
     Therefore, this study is aimed to contribute to the maritime sector and the life and working conditions of the seafarers, regarding the determination and examination of the welfare of the seafarers, the general welfare level of the seafarers, in which areas have problems, which areas should be dealt with more.