Tag: life onboard

It has been over a year since the world was introduced to lockdown measures as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. These restrictions have highlighted just how much we collectively owe to the key workers who have kept essential services running, despite the personal risks and additional challenges they face, highlights Mrs. Monica Lambrou-Whiting, Senior Claims Manager, West P&I.

It is known fatigue has been a problem across the maritime industry for many decades. In light of the situation, Thetius and Safetytech Accelerator released a report on fatigue risk management.

Sailors’ Society expanded its Wellness at Sea Awareness Campaign, in order to include crewmembers' families and shore staff.

Capt. Hans Hederström, Chalmers University of Technology, Professor of the Practice, Dept. of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences, highlights that the maritime industry needs to quit perception that human is the creator of problems and focus instead on ways to empower human skills.

In a recent SAFETY4SEA Talk, Dr. Pennie Blackburn, Consultant Clinical Psychologist at ISWAN, Mr. Johan Smith, Wellness Programme Manager at Sailors’ Society and Capt. Hari Subramaniam, Regional Head-Business Relations at Shipowners’ Club highlighted the alarming trends with regards to mental health and suggested ways to eradicate the stigma around.

In times of high stress, many people are overwhelmed with negative feelings and concerns. Especially for seafarers, worrying situations may result in high pressure due to the demanding nature of their work onboard.

The Global Maritime Forum announced the launch of the Neptune Declaration Crew Change Indicator which aims to provide up-to-date information on the impact of the crew change crisis and monitor developments over time.

Crew differences such as nationality, gender, and age can affect the success of social activities on board. Therefore, understanding the impacts of demographics can help in the design of inclusive, engaging activities for the whole crew to enjoy, ISWAN highlights.

Seafarers’ wellness depends on several pillars such as good work-life balance, regular communication with their family members, quality of life onboard etc.

Separation from family, loneliness, lack of shore leave, fear of criminalization and the simple stress of everyday workload are only a few of the challenging factors for seafarers’ mental health, and even more in times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.