Maritime Crew Management During Ships’ Forced Immobilization: Navigating International Obligations and Financial Constraints  A Case Study of an Algerian Public Institution

Mohamed BELBRIK; Nadia  HADJI

doi:10.34118/djei.v17i2.4670

Mohamed BELBRIK University of Continuing Education (Algeria) https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4343-037X
Nadia HADJI Polytechnic School of Architecture and Urban Planning-Algeria http://orcid.org/0009-0009-2887-1522

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34118/djei.v17i2.4670

Keywords: Human resource management, forced immobilization, maritime legislation, seafarers’ mental health, organizational collapse

Abstract

This research paper examines the complex challenge of managing maritime human resources during prolonged forced immobilization of ships within an Algerian public institution. The study adopted a case study methodology combined with participatory observation throughout 2024 and analyzed data from 28 participants, including seafarers, administrators, and maritime experts. The findings reveal severe financial losses exceeding €7,000 per vessel per day and, in line with several previous studies, a clinically significant deterioration in seafarers’ mental health, manifested through symptoms of depression and anxiety, alongside a collapse of the disciplinary and social structure onboard vessels. The study further highlights a profound implementation gap between international obligations—particularly the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006)—and the institution’s financial and administrative capacities. The paper concludes that the crisis is systemic in nature and recommends the adoption of an integrated management model combining financial reform, psychological support, and legislative flexibility.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

الأمر رقم 80-76 المؤرخ في 23 أكتوبر 1976 هو القانون البحري الجزائري الأصلي. تم تعديله وتتميمه بموجب القانون رقم 05-98 المؤرخ في 25 يونيو 1998.

بوعيشة، بشير. (2019). اقتصاديات رأس المال البشري والاجتماعي في المؤسسات الجزائرية: معوقات وآفاق. مجلة الباحث، 15(2)، 45-60.

حريز أسماء. (2024). حماية صحة البحارة. المجلة الجزائرية للقانون البحري والنقل، (5)، 1-10

رئيس الجمهورية الجزائرية. (2012). *المرسوم التنفيذي رقم 12-247 المحدد لشروط وتنظيم العمل البحري*. الجريدة الرسمية العدد 28.

غربي، عبد القادر. (2022). سوسيولوجيا المنظمات: مقاربات نظرية وتطبيقات ميدانية. منشورات جامعة الجزائر.

وزير النقل الجزائري. (2008). *القرار رقم 08-135 المتعلق بالصحة البحرية*. الجريدة الرسمية العدد 42.

المرسوم التنفيذي رقم 05-102 المؤرخ في 15 صفر عام 1426 الموافق 26 مارس سنة 2005، الذي يحدد النظام النوعي لعلاقات عمل المستخدمين الملاحين لسفن النقل البحري أو التجاري أو الصيد البحري.

المرسوم الرئاسي رقم 15-260 المؤرخ في 7 أكتوبر 2015، المتضمن التصديق على اتفاقية العمل البحري (2006)، والذي أدرج أحكامها ضمن المنظومة القانونية الجزائرية.

Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity in social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 2, pp. 267–299). Academic Press.

Baygi, F., Khonsari, N. M., Agoushi, A., Gelsefid, S. H., Gorabi, A. M., & Qorbani, M. (2021). Prevalence and associated factors of psychosocial distress among seafarers during COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 222. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03197-z.

Baygi, F., Mohammadi-Nasrabadi, F., & Birkland, S. (2021). Mental health problems and associated factors among seafarers during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 27(4), 1041–1047.

BIMCO. (2021). BIMCO demurrage and detention clause for container vessels. https://www.bimco.org/contracts-and-clauses/bimco-clauses/current/demurrage-and-detention-clause-for-container-vessels

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.

Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/qrj0902027.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/11735

Brooks, S. K., & Greenberg, N. (2022). Mental health and psychological wellbeing of maritime personnel: A systematic review. BMC Psychology, 10, 139.

Cech, E. A., & Hiltner, S. (2022). Unsettled employment, reshuffled priorities? Career prioritization among college-educated workers facing employment instability during COVID-19. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 8.

CNAN NORD SPA. (2018). Collective agreement between the management of CNAN NORD SPA company and the workers represented by the trade union office of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA). Algiers: CNAN NORD SPA.

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage Publication Ltd.

Devereux, H., & Wadsworth, E. (2022). Forgotten keyworkers: The experiences of British seafarers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 33(2), 272–289.

Devereux, S., & Wadsworth, E. (2021). The psychological impact of extended contracts and separation from family on seafarers’ wellbeing. Maritime Policy & Management, 48(7), 964–978.

Dunwoodie, K., Macaulay, L., & Newman, A. (2022). Qualitative interviewing in the field of work and organisational psychology: Benefits, challenges and guidelines for researchers and reviewers. Applied Psychology, 72(2), 863–889. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12414

Durkheim, É. (2014). The division of labor in society. (S. Lukes, Ed.). Free Press. (Original work published 1893)

Foucault, M. (1995) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage Books, New York, 215.

Goffman, E. (1963). Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Prentice-Hall.

Gould, R.V. and Fernandez, R.M. (1989) Structures of Mediation: A Formal Approach to Brokerage in Transaction Networks. Sociological Methodology, 19, 89-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/270949.

Hebbar, A. A., & Mukesh, N. (2020). COVID-19 and seafarers' rights to shore leave, repatriation and medical assistance: A pilot study. International Maritime Health, 71(4), 217–228. doi:10.5603/IMH.2020.0040.

International Labour Organization. (2006). Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006.

International Maritime Organization. (1974). International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN). (2021, March). Concerns of rise in number of seafarers impacted by crew change due to new COVID-variants. https://www.seafarerswelfare.org/news/2021/concerns-of-rise-in-number-of-seafarers-impacted-by-crew-change-due-to-new-covid-variants

International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) & Yale University. (2019). Mental health of seafarers: A global survey report. ITF Publications.

Lloyd's. (2022). Safety and shipping review 2022: An annual review of trends and developments in shipping losses and safety. Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Lloyd's List Intelligence. https://abrbuzz.co.za/publications/press-and customers/allianz/Allianz%20Global%20Corporate%20Safety%20%20Shipping%20Review%202022%20DRAFT.pdf.

Merton, R. K. (1968). Social theory and social structure (enlarged ed.). Free Press.

Mtisi, S. (2022). The Qualitative Case Study Research Strategy as Applied on a Rural Enterprise Development Doctoral Research Project. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221145849

Nguyen, H. O., & Notteboom, T. (2022). Financial barriers to port state control compliance. Marine Policy, 135, 104876.

Noble, C., Ajjawi, R., Billett, S., & Goldszmidt, M. (2025). How to Approach Qualitative Observational Research in Workplace Learning. The Clinical Teacher, 22(1). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.70005

Oldenburg, M., Harth, V., & Jensen, H. (2010). Stress and strain among seafarers related to the occupational environment. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 83(7), 735–745. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-010-0554-1

Organ, D.W. and Ryan, K. (1995) A Meta-Analytic Review of Attitudinal and Dispositional Predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Personnel Psychology, 48, 775-802. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01781.x

Pauksztat, B., Andrei, D. M., & Grech, M. R. (2022). Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of seafarers: A comparison using matched samples. Safety Science, 146, 105542.

Pauksztat, B., Andrei, D. M., & Grech, M. R. (2022a). Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on seafarers’ mental health. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 71(3), 879–904. doi: 10.1016/j. ssci.2021.105542, indexed in Pubmed: 34744311.

Qin, W. Z., Li, L., Zhu, D. S., Ju, C. F., Bi, P. F., & Li, S. X. (2021). Prevalence and risk factors of depression symptoms among Chinese seafarers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 11(6), e048660.

Rhoades, L., & Eisenberger, R. (2002). Perceived organizational support: A review of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 698–714. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.698.

Roulston, K., & Halpin, S. N. (2022). Designing Qualitative Research Using Interview Data. The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Design, 667–683. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529770278.n41

Rousseau, D. M. (1995). Psychological contracts in organizations: Understanding written and unwritten agreements. SAGE Publications.

Sampson, H., & Ellis, N. (2019). Seafarers’ mental health and wellbeing. Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC), Cardiff University Report, 1–42.

Şenbursa, N. (2024). Seafarer’s Wellbeing on Board: a Scoping Review. University of Ordu, Fatsa Marine Sciences Faculty, Fatsa, Ordu, Türkiye. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5144-4240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7225/toms.v13.n01.w04

Seyle, C., McKenzie, K., & Neill, J. (2018). Psychological consequences of piracy at sea. International Maritime Health, 69(2), 84–90.

Seyle, D. C., Fernandez, K. G., Dimitrevich, A., & Bahri, C. (2018). The long-term impact of maritime piracy on seafarers' behavioral health and work decisions. Marine Policy, 87, 23–28.

Shan, D. (2021). Occupational health and safety challenges for maritime key workers in the global COVID-19 pandemic. International Labour Review.

Sliskovic, A. (2020). Seafarers' well-being in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. Work, 67(4), 799–809. doi: 10.3233/WOR-203333.

Stopford, M. (2009). Maritime economics (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Svetina, M., Perkovic, K., & Roncevic, A. (2024). Occupational stressors and mental health risks among seafarers across 12 countries. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 66(1), 45–58.

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin, & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-37). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Ullrich, C., Ziegler, S., Armbruster, A., Wensing, M., & Klafke, N. (2024). Participant observation for inquiry-based learning: a document analysis of exam papers from an internship-course for master’s students in health services research in Germany. BMC Medical Education, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05740-4

UNCTAD. (2022). Review of maritime transport 2022. United Nations Publications.

United Nations. (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology. University of California Press.

Wilson, J. M., Lee, J., Fitzgerald, H. N., Oosterhoff, B., Sevi, B., & Shook, N. J. (2020). Job insecurity and financial concern during the COVID-19 pandemic are associated with worse mental health. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(9), 686–691. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32890205/.