Tag: life onboard

Captain VS Parani, author of the Golden Stripes- Leadership on the High Seas, shares lessons learned from two different groundings which occured due to similar failures, highlighting once again the importance of safety culture onboard.

There is no single thing that can cause chest pain and other disorders of the heart, but there are several risk factors that contribute to it. For a better heart heald, people working at sea and all people as well, coming from all ages, are advised being physically active, managing conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression, managing their weight and avoiding social isolation.

professionalism has to do with how you conduct yourself during your business affairs; different tasks to different people. Talking about shipping industry, seafaring with its STCW rules could meet all the requirements of a profession. However, professionalism has many attributes.

Capt. Yves Vandenborn, AFNI, Director of Loss Prevention at the Standard P&I Club, suggests focusing on resilience for the crew onboard rather than to competency only. This is the only way to understand the bigger picture and know how to respond to every situation.                           

During our life there will be many times when we feel stressed, such as when the pressures or demands of life get on top of us. However, it is important to remember that stress is not only normal but essential for survival and can be beneficial to us. Moreover, there are ways that can help deal with stress effectively.

Foodborne disease outbreaks on ships, caused by consumption of contaminated food and drink, are of concern because of their potentially serious health consequences for the crew, resulting also in high costs for the companies and the industry.

Last year, the findings of a key industry report by 'Project MARTHA' were presented, identifying growing levels of fatigue, particularly among Masters and Watch Keepers and noting that motivation was a major factor in fatigue experienced by seafarers. 

Seafarers are usually exposed to several stressors due to their demanding working environment. Specifically, they are confronted with mental, psychosocial, and physical stressors. The different duties onboard, separation from family, loneliness on board, fatigue, multi-nationality, limited recreation activity, and sleep deprivation are among the contributory factors of stress at sea.

SAFETY4SEA latest poll showed that 82% believe the industry is not doing enough to attract young talents to maritime jobs. Which are the methods shipping organizations recruit seafarers? And what needs to be done to guide young people take up maritime jobs?

Joseph Meli, Marketing and operations manager at the Mediterranean Maritime Research and Training Centre, argues that although Malta is one of the largest maritime flags in the world and the largest in Europe, the country does not have enough qualified and skilled employees to sustain the Maltese maritime sector.