During LISW 2019, Dr. Grahaeme Henderson, Vice President, Shipping & Maritime at Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Ltd, highlighted how important is for the industry to continue its efforts on seafarers’ mental health and wellbeing and shared examples of Shell’s work towards a zero-incident future.
We are all biologically programmed to be active during the day and to sleep at night. Each individual has a body clock, and this clock regulates the body’s circadian rhythm. The body clock makes a person sleepy or alert on a regular schedule whether they are working or not. In normal conditions, the sleep/wake cycle follows a 24-hour rhythm; however, the cycle is not the same for everyone.
Seafarers working onboard cruise ships and ferries are the unhappiest in the shipping industry, the latest Seafarers Happiness Index report reveals for the second quarter of 2019. Overall, seafarer happiness has slipped this quarter, down to 6.27/10 from 6.31.
AMSA launched the ‘Fatigue Survey – Domestic Commercial Vessels’ focusing on the importance of seafarers’ wellbeing when onboard. The survey aims to get an insight into how seafarers cope with fatigue in order to develop specific guidance, while also encourage safe management practices.
Captain Rajesh Unni, CEO and Founder of ship manager Synergy Group, highlighted that mental health awareness should be a priority on first aid seafarer training, adding that more has to be done to understand and alleviate mental strains of life at sea, as the dangers became more apparent.
Working onboard a ship is a routine; Seafarers – regardless their ranking – live, interact and sometimes perform functions in the same place. Fatigue can trigger sadness and vice versa while active engagement in social life onboard has a real and positive impact on seafarer’s welfare.
Resilience is a term that is widely known during the last years and refers to the ability of an organization to anticipate, prepare for, respond and adapt to incremental change and sudden disruptions in order to survive and prosper. Namely, the term reaches beyond risk management towards a more holistic view of business health and success.
Prescribed hours of work and rest limits set out in IMO and ILO Conventions are considered to be the primary fatigue risk management requirements, setting minimum standards of compliance in international shipping. The industry needs more defensive layers than the hours of work and rest regulations to manage the risks of fatigue at sea.
Latest Safety and Shipping Review report by Allianz fears that industry could see an increase in human error and claims related to fatigue or a lack of crew engagement. Besides, human error remains a key safety issue and an underlying factor in many claims and fatigue is considered the main contributory factor in such incidents.
British seafarer welfare charity Mission to Seafarers announced the launch of its new WeCare Social Communications and Financial Literacy training programme, a training initiative aiming to address rising levels of stress among seafarers brought on by financial pressures and the misuse of social networking platforms.
