The pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to prioritize seafarer health, both physical and mental. During a panel discussion at the 2024 Crew Welfare Week, experts addressed the growing awareness and efforts by companies to tackle these challenges, while emphasizing that sustained action is required to fully resolve the ongoing health concerns within the seafaring community.
In a panel discussion moderated by Capt. Yves Vandenborn, Head of Loss Prevention Asia-Pacific, NorthStandard, the following experts gave their insights on what can be done to promote the health of the crew: Marinos Kokkinis, Managing Director, OneCare Group; Crystol Lasley, Marine Operations Director, AP Companies; Marios Minou, Deputy Crew Manager, Latsco Marine Management Inc; Adam Parnell, Director Maritime, CHIRP; Ronald Spithout , Managing Director, VIKAND; and Sandra Welch, CEO, Seafarers Hospital Society.
The current state of seafarer health
Starting the discussion, Capt. Yves Vandenborn noted that approximately 19% of the claims received from a P&I Club perspective are related to seafarers’ illnesses, excluding onboard injuries. Among these claims, a significant portion is attributed to gastrointestinal issues (17%), followed by heart-related issues (13%), vascular problems (11%), and kidney-related concerns (9%).
These figures highlight a substantial number of illness-related or, more broadly, health-related claims. Therefore, it is essential to develop a clear understanding of seafarers’ health and focus on identifying trends and exploring how technology can enhance their health and well-being.
Sandra Welch observed that since the pandemic, there has been a concerted effort to improve seafarers’ health conditions. ‘I am seeing numerous new health and wellbeing initiatives across the industry; however, these provisions often depend on the ship operator or ship manager.
In this regard, responsible ship operators tend to ensure the availability of healthy food, clean drinking water, access to medical care, and safe operating procedures onboard, along with supportive services and mechanisms for providing feedback.’
Sandra hopes that the updates to the MLC, effective from December 2024, will address these critical aspects. Crystol Lasley agreed with Sandra Welch regarding the disparity in the availability of health services. ‘It is concerning that we cannot mandate operators and owners to provide these services,’ she remarked.
‘At CHIRP, we analyze safety and near-miss reports, which means I often see situations when things have gone wrong rather than when they’ve gone right. Many accidents, quite often and tragically, result in serious injury or death. If we consider the entire global seafaring community, including fishersmen, we could be looking at one fatality every 5 to 15 minutes. Even if we focus solely on the 2 million seafarers in commercial shipping, that still equates to more than one death per day.’ Adam Parnel argued.
Adam added that as a community, we do not accurately record the true accident rates. He emphasized the importance of improving accident reporting, highlighting that the industry has a long way to go in understanding the true state of health and safety at sea.
‘’There is a much more listening ear everywhere when we talk about crew asset management.’’ said Ronald Spithout, noting that this was not the case a year ago. ‘On the P&I side, we see increased attention to crew health and risk mitigation activities. On the ship manager and owner side, there is a significantly greater focus on these issues. Additionally, as a result of digitalization, they are investing much more in crew training. Consequently, they have come to understand that it is better to retain their workforce rather than replace it frequently,’ Ronald explained.
Mental health in the spotlight
Sandra Welche emphasized that fatigue and mental health remain pressing issues requiring further discussion and improvement.
‘When we talk about seafarer health, we are clearly addressing both physical and psychological well-being,’ noted Adam Parnell as he began outlining the positive changes the pandemic has brought to the discussion on seafarers’ health, particularly the increased focus on mental health.
One significant improvement we’ve observed since the pandemic is not just a rise in mental health needs but also an increase in awareness among owners and ship managers about the importance of mental health care,’ commented Crystol Lasley, sharing insights from the cases handled by AP companies.
Marios Minou agreed that the pandemic highlighted the importance of focusing on mental health. As a result, many companies became more aware of the issue and implemented related campaigns, as well as collaborated with third parties. While this is a positive development, he emphasized that much more effort is still needed.
Citing feedback from OneCare Group, Marinos Kokkinis noted that some clients have been proactive in implementing initiatives within the industry, leading to improvements in both physical and mental health.
‘’If we narrow that down to specifics, we see trends of improvement in predictable areas among companies that adopt Quality Assurance programs, PEME, and onboard health programs. These initiatives address issues such as hypertension, diabetes, and gastrointestinal problems. However, post-COVID, we are still observing significant challenges, particularly with pulmonary trauma and musculoskeletal issues,’’ he said.
Regarding mental health, Marinos highlighted high rates of anxiety, family-related stress, and general stress among seafarers. On a positive note, he acknowledged that many companies have introduced mental health support initiatives and training programs to raise awareness.
‘’Things are improving, but the challenges facing the industry remain persistent, especially with the current situation in the Red Sea and the ongoing trauma stemming from the Ukraine-Russia war,’’ he added, emphasizing the fragility of seafarers’ mental health.
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