Leaders in the shipping industry are being urged to find out how improving crew welfare can have a positive impact on their bottom line at a ground-breaking conference in Singapore.
The Wellness at Sea Conference, organised by Sailors’ Society in conjunction with Alexony, and sponsored by Inmarsat and Dorian LPG, will take place on January 17 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.
The conference is an industry first due to its focus on crew welfare, addressing the key factors affecting seafarers’ on-board health and well-being. The keynote speaker will be Warwick Norman, Chief Executive Officer of Rightship.
It will offer holistic ways to improve crew wellness and will explore how this will not only benefit safety and efficiency, but also contribute directly to the financial health of the business.
Stuart Rivers, Chief Executive Officer of Sailors’ Society, said:
“As a charity working with seafarers around the world, we know they can be particularly vulnerable to loneliness, depression and other welfare concerns.
“With more than 80 per cent of marine casualties caused by human error, the question for shipowners is – can you afford not to invest in crew welfare?”
Dimitris Orfanos, Chief Operating Officer at Dorian LPG Management, said:
“We consider the welfare of our crew as an extremely important issue and we have always found it an investment that has paid off.
“Not only are our crew safer and happier but we are reducing the risk of incidents, sickness and other issues, which ultimately result in healthier business and smoother operations.”
The event has been designed for leaders in both strategic and operational positions. Ron Vollenga, Vertical Markets Manager at Inmarsat Maritime, is speaking at the conference about the impact of communications on crew welfare.
He said:
“The conference will help to highlight how employers can alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation at sea, by providing access to the internet and keeping seafarers in contact with their loved ones back home.”
Sailors’ Society has also launched an update to its Wellness at Sea app. As part of the update, the charity has partnered with International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and Port Info to provide seafarers with contact details for ITF inspectors and useful information about the ports they are docking at. The update also includes details of German Seamen’s Mission (DSM) chaplains.
The free app – available for both Android and iPhone – puts seafarers’ wellness in their own hands by giving them the tools to assess and monitor their own wellbeing, as well as important practical information including local maritime welfare services and ship tracking data.
Source & Image credit: Sailors’ Society
