The ability to identify stress, manage stress and balance your life is very important to anyone’s mental health, but crucial for the survival of the seafarer, stresses Jamie McNamara, Claims Executive, The American P&I Club.
People talk about attempting to live a balanced life. This is particularly challenging for the seafarer who already leads two separate lifestyles, one at home and the other on the vessel. Having sailed for many years, my experience confirms that there are more mental health challenges from crew aboard ships than from other shoreside workers.
A balanced life contains key characteristics that must all work in harmony: physical health, emotional well-being, mental health, financial stability, social connections, spiritual well-being, occupational balance, and personal and professional growth and development.
Each of these components are important and connected to a seafarer’s mental health and well-being. Permitting any one of these characteristics to overtake the others can further negatively impact the others resulting in a downward spiral and a mentally unfit seafarer.
Maritime Labour Convention
Shipowners have the duty under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 to establish decent working and living conditions onboard their vessels. Some physical health and social connection aspects are represented and required within the MLC including adequate work-rest hours, leave and repatriation guarantee, recreation accommodation, and proper nutrition.
The proverb “you are what you eat” by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1825 remains true today as a well balanced and healthy diet is important to our physical and mental wellbeing and is particularly important for the crew. A well-trained cook preparing good tasting and healthy food onboard a vessel is always appreciated and an important component to crew morale and physical well-being.
Recreation facilities or places for crew to engage socially are also very important for encouraging a good mental health environment as it helps to connect crew while building a support network if help is needed. Because physical exercise is a great way to reduce stress, provide social connection and build a community, vessel owners should consider including exercise equipment in the recreation area to assist in achieving balance.
Playing ping-pong, exercising or watching a movie in the lounge are additional examples of ways to de-stress and socialize with other crew.
With family and friends ashore, technology and connectivity play an important role in the crew’s mental health. Connecting to family and friends on the phone or social media is often a lifeline for seafarers and is increasingly more available through upgrades in telecommunications on vessels.
While improved communication links are mostly perceived as a benefit, it is important to consider the negative side of these devices. At times a difficult conversation or bad news from home can disrupt the mental health balance. It is at these moments when the well-developed on-board support network is most needed.
Job satisfaction
An individual’s career aspirations and job satisfaction can also affect mental health. Whether the current job allows for personal and professional growth and development is an important consideration. Are financial goals being met in the current capacity? Does the current job provide satisfactory personal life and occupational balance? The stress of financial instability or frustration around the lack of advancement can easily cause anger or other mental challenges.
The maritime industry has many opportunities for seafarers as there are many ship types and contract types, and therefore many contract variations. In answering these questions, a seafarer may want to explore other contracts with different voyage types or voyage durations; anything from two weeks on/two weeks off a tug or a nine-month contract on board an ocean-going tanker or cruise ship. Finding the right balance is paramount.
Waking up each morning enjoying the work that is accomplished helps to ensure a healthy work experience and results in a healthy mental state. Just like in other workspaces, people who are not happy or do not enjoy their daily work should evaluate why they continue to work in their current employment.
Resilience
Resilience, or the capacity to recover or withstand hardships, is an important characteristic for a seafarer’s mental health. Resilience training is an important consideration as it provides the necessary coping tools and strategies to respond to different stresses that a seafarer encounters in his daily life.
By discussing different stresses and strategies during training sessions or safety meetings, the crew can share ways to address different stressful events. This could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, exercising, or just talking to a friend. It is important to be able to not only recognize the internal mental challenges but also to recognize a co-worker who may be suffering in quiet.
If the crew onboard are unable to assist a colleague in crisis, they must be provided access and contact information to local chaplains, online resources, or Telemed services to provide the necessary mental health support.
While the MLC aids in establishing a baseline for various standards, much can be done by the shipowner and the captain of the vessel to ensure a safety culture that promotes a healthy working environment for all seafarers. This starts with training of the senior officers on the benefits of a workplace that is conducive to and encourages the open dialogue of wellness promoting initiatives while at sea.
Team building, open communication and a culture that fosters and supports comments on the improvements of crew working conditions at sea is something to be encouraged, not ignored.
The maritime industry is actively working to address mental health challenges. Seafarers are encouraged to identify what they personally need to ensure proper balance in their lives. By eliminating or modifying their known stresses, and providing appropriate coping strategies, crew mental health can be improved, and seafarers can benefit from and live a balanced lifestyle.
The views presented are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
