The Global Maritime Forum alongside members of the All Aboard Alliance launched on 25 June ‘Diversity@Sea: The Journey to the Sustainable Crewing Guidelines’, the final report from a two-year pilot project focused on improving life at sea.
Released in conjunction with the Day of the Seafarer, the report captures key insights from our pilot study focused on improving safety, well-being, and seafarer retention.
Drawing on the lived experiences of seafarers and the active involvement of 12 leading industry partners, the Diversity@Sea pilot explored how more inclusive working environments can lead to better working conditions at sea and make seafaring a more attractive career option. The final report brings together key learnings from the pilot and builds on the Sustainable Crewing Guidelines introduced earlier this year.
The resulting nine key Sustainable Crewing Guidelines are:
- Establish clear expectations of respectful and professional behaviour
- Zero tolerance and clear consequences for unacceptable behaviour
- Set rank-specific criteria for tasks, training, and appraisals
- Ensure appropriate equipment and facilities for all
- Provide a reliable daily connection to the wider world
- Reduce isolation by building supportive communities
- Offer flexible contract lengths and respect contract terms
- Provide paid parental leave
- Continuously collect feedback and take action
Building a culture of respect at sea
Female seafarers, young seafarers, and other minorities frequently experience disrespectful behaviour related to their identity. In some cases, this constitutes harassment. Numerous accounts from seafarers highlighted the importance of a respectful culture and the role of senior leaders in building it. As another seafarer explained, “the safety and working culture onboard a vessel primarily depend on the master’s behaviour. If the master creates a stressful working environment, the rest of the crew cannot focus on their jobs effectively.”
Many pilot study and interview participants pointed to positive experiences they had with senior officers. Furthermore, pilot findings reveal that clear behavioural guidelines and training contribute to better teamwork, productivity, and motivation.
When trust exists among colleagues, individuals feel comfortable sharing honest opinions, knowledge, and expertise.
Strengthening trust in safety protocols
Building a positive work culture also includes addressing unacceptable behaviour to ensure seafarers feel safe from mental or physical abuse. This is essential for fostering trust and accountability. Seafarer interviews made it clear that bullying and power abuse harm seafarers’ mental health and drive many to leave the industry altogether. Structures that keep seafarers safe are particularly important given that seafarers frequently work with new colleagues.
A major challenge is ensuring that seafarers trust that they can report cases of abuse without fear of retaliation or other negative consequences. While many companies offer anonymous helplines, employees are not always aware of these services or may not believe that they are truly anonymous. Almost half of the respondents in the comparative study either did not have access to an anonymous helpline or were unaware that their company offered one.
Women on board must feel safe and understand that reporting the issues to the captain or company will not lead to losing their job. I think 90% of abuse and harassment cases are not reported at all due to fear of losing a job.
In addition, after a report is made, seafarers would like to know that action will be taken by the company. When procedures are poorly defined or inconsistently applied, victims of abuse are concerned about the personal consequences of making a report, especially gossip that can follow them to new vessels. The seafarers in the Diversity@Sea pilot study expressed that clear and consistent procedures support seafarers’ feelings of security.
In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Dr. Susanne Justesen, Director of Human Sustainability at the Global Maritime Forum, emphasized the importance of taking these guidelines seriously, especially given the many challenges currently facing the maritime industry.
Providing seafarers with the right tools
Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to ensuring that seafarers can perform their jobs safely and effectively. While PPE is a fundamental safety requirement, it is often designed for the average male body, making it ill-fitting for others.
Seafarers who do not conform to the average male size frequently purchase their own PPE at their own expense, a cost that ought to be borne by the company. Quality and durability are also concerns, with respondents reporting that PPE shrinks and degrades over time. In addition to the need for more suitable and durable PPE, gender-separated bathrooms, changing rooms, and laundry facilities were rated as highly important by study participants.
Where such facilities are lacking, women often have to go back to their cabins to change or attend to personal needs. Seafarers also emphasised the need for discrete and hygienic disposal options for sanitary products.
Respondents also stressed the importance of supplying appropriate medical and sanitary products for all genders, ensuring that the diverse needs of seafarers are considered. Pilot study participants reported higher satisfaction in areas related to personal PPE, onboard facilities, and sanitary products than those in the comparative study, which may reflect the fact that the pilot vessels were equipped with gender-segregated facilities and specifically stocked menstrual products.
However, the perceived need for such provisions varies significantly among individuals, and not all crew members viewed them as a priority.
Enhancing connectivity
Connectivity with the wider world is essential to seafarers’ well-being. While internet access at sea was once considered a luxury, today it is a necessity. It not only allows seafarers to stay connected with family and friends through calls, messaging, and social media, but also supports other vital aspects of daily life, including entertainment, banking, e-learning, and even physical exercise through online platforms. The survey with the general seafarer population shows that the majority either lack sufficient free internet access or must pay high rates for basic use.
In the comparative study, 46% of seafarers reported receiving 1GB or less of free and reliable internet per week. 1GB per week of data would typically provide:
- 30 minutes of video calling (standard quality)
- 30 minutes of standard-quality video streaming
- 2.5-3 hours of voice calls
- A mix of ~3-4 hours of browsing or 1.5 hours of music streaming
- Some combination of the above
Additionally, one of the areas where seafarers expressed the greatest dissatisfaction was shore leave policies. In the comparative study, one quarter of respondents reported no shore leave per month, whilst just over half have only one day or less of monthly shore leave. Without the opportunity to go ashore, some seafarers spend months confined to the ship.
Even when shore leave is granted, it is often too short, and terminals are frequently located far from cities or areas of interest, leaving seafarers with little to no time to visit places beyond the port.
As stated, the report marks an end to the Diversity@Sea pilot phase, but the journey to improve working conditions at sea will continue. In the coming months, the Global Maritime Forum will host a series of learning sessions to support the wider implementation of the Sustainable Crewing Guidelines across the maritime industry.
