This time of the year always gives a great opportunity to consider lessons learned and set new year’s resolutions for new beginnings. For that matter, Mrs. Sara Baade, CEO, Sailors’ Society, makes an assessment of 2021 and shares her message for the new year across the global maritime community.
SAFETY4SEA: How would you briefly describe 2021? What is your assessment?
Sara Baade: It’s certainly been a year of challenges, but it’s also been a year of great adaptability, collaboration, and innovation. I joined as Sailors’ Society’s CEO at the end of 2020, and it’s been a wonderful experience getting to know the team and our beneficiaries, our partners and the wider industry and its people.
It’s great that so many have pulled together to ride this storm – yet there’s still so much suffering. Covid has exacerbated many issues that already existed for seafarers, from fatigue and loneliness through to abandonment. Our team’s shown incredible flexibility and resilience, continuing to deliver high quality, vital support to seafarers and their families throughout, despite the circumstances.
S4S: What were the lessons learned for the maritime industry in 2021 and what to keep for the new year moving forwards?
SB: The past year has highlighted yet again the importance of having robust support programs in place for crew and other employees.
We all know by now the impact that stress and worry can have on mental health, and seafarers have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic.
It’s been great to be able to work with so many more companies this year to help them care for the mental health and wellbeing of their crew, their families and shore staff through our Wellness at Sea work.
S4S: Focusing on your area of expertise, what do you think that will be the biggest challenge(s) for the industry in 2022?
SB:
One of the biggest challenges will be continuing to address the damage the pandemic has had on many seafarers’ wellbeing and livelihoods, as well as facilitating those all-important crew changes.
Key worker status and access to vaccinations are still a key issue that has yet to be addressed consistently globally and we hope the international maritime community will continue its call for this situation to change. We’ll be working with our partners to support those affected so that they can recover and hopefully in time go on to enjoy long and fulfilling careers at sea.
S4S: What would be the new year’s resolutions for your organization?
SB: To remain as resilient and pioneering as we have been the past 18 months. The pandemic has been challenging for everyone personally, but Sailors’ Society’s frontline teams have continued to serve and support seafarers and their families through some desperate situations. All this against a backdrop of ever-changing regulations and restrictions. The innovation and creativity with which teams have tackled challenges have meant we’ve continued to reach out and help those in need – we’re committed to facing the future at their side.
S4S: What are you looking forward to in 2022? What would you be most glad about seeing changing in the maritime industry next year?
SB: Sailors’ Society will continue to put the spotlight on mental health and to provide seafarers and their families with whatever support they need – whether counselling, welfare or financial assistance – to help them get through this pandemic and beyond. We hope that as the world fights against this dreadful virus and in time starts to recover, that we don’t lose the great strides that have been made by the industry to help support seafarers’ mental health.
S4S: If you could make one wish for the maritime industry for the year to come, what would you ask for?
SB:
I’d wish for us to remain hopeful. Hope is something we usually think about as a new year begins; and it’s something we need more than ever.
We know that too many of our hopes have been dashed during the coronavirus pandemic. Hopes of returning home to loved ones at the end of an exhausting contract. Hopes of celebrations since postponed, of finding your next contract during lockdown. We’re helping seafarers look after their mental health through our Wellness at Sea work, and you can access some of our tips and advice on how to keep positive and your hopes alive here: https://sailors-society.org/was-coronavirus
Happy Christmas and wishing everyone a brighter 2022 from all at Sailors’ Society – here’s to hopes fulfilled.
* * * New Year’s Resolutions for the Maritime Industry * * *
In 2022,
- We need to repeat.. the call for key worker status for seafarers.
- We need to lose… any stigma that remains around mental health.
- We need to gain… greater opportunities for seafarers to be vaccinated, wherever they are in the world – at home, in port or at sea.
- We can succeed by… facing the future together.
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.
