IN a survey of 2,000 HIV-positive individuals in the Philippines conducted seven years ago, more of them turned out to be seafarers than prostitutes.That’s a skewed sample, of course, as the country concerned must surely have a higher number of seafarers per head of population than anywhere else on earth, but it does bring home a facet of life at sea that rarely gets frank acknowledgement. It might not be quite the done thing to say it, but yes, seafarers sometimes do make use of the services of the people now designated commercial sex workers, at least in polite circles. Not for nothing are brothels a common sight in port cities across the planet, in the first world as much as the developing nations. The world’s maritime labour force is still overwhelmingly male. And men cooped up on a ship for weeks on end are inevitably going have something on their mind when they finally do get a few hours shore leave, and it is not in all cases an overpowering desire to attend a church service or write home to their widowed mum. Nobody wants to be judgmental about this, because ‘twas ever thus, as the saying goes. But seafarers are more likely to have paid-for sex than the wider male population. One 2003 study of 220 mariners from around the world calling at a UK port found that 48% admitted to having done so, and a third had done so with the past 12 months.
There is sociological evidence that mariners are more likely than other occupational groups to engage in a whole range of risky behaviours, including getting plastered and getting stoned. Once thus intoxicated, unprotected sex in some low grade waterfront knocking shop is sometimes what follows. And what follows after that? All too often, a case of sexually transmitted disease. HIV is pretty much the worst case scenario, but scabies, syphillis and gonorrhoea are scarcely laughing matters, either.
Just to add to the problem, there is often a reluctance to seek medical advice, for fear that diagnosis with an STD could have an adverse effect on employment prospects, whether or not such discrimination is legal in the jurisdiction concerned. Certainly those professionally concerned with seafarer wellbeing, including the International Transport Workers’ Federation, the International Committee on Seafarers’ Welfare and the Seafarers’ Health Information Project have all produced responsible and non-prurient material on what not to do in the sack if you want to stay safe. Young seafarers reading this should take the advice of their old uncle Bill, and heed the counsel of the above. If you can’t be good, be careful, and in this context that means using a condom. Every time.
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