Seafarer Wellbeing – 2022 progress and reflections

Seafarer wellbeing is a focal topic for Standard Club, and we are always exploring different methods and partnerships to raise awareness, do more to support seafarers, and foster a safer shipping industry. Fortunately, this sentiment is shared by the wider industry and as we come close to year end, there have been updated resources and reflections on the work that is done on this front.

First of all, we are happy to announce that Standard Club’s Seafarer Wellbeing poster campaign was shortlisted for Crew Connect Global’s Welfare and Corporate Social Responsibility Award! The posters were originally created with the purpose of gracing the walls of members’ ships, focusing on four topics considered to have the biggest impact on seafarer wellbeing, in the current times – healthy eating, fitness, mental wellbeing and socialisation. The award “recognises a leading corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy or initiative delivered in the past year, with a measurable impact on crews or wider communities.” We are grateful that our efforts have been acknowledged, and it is heartening to see the great work done by fellow nominees in this category.

Secondly, The Mission to Seafarers have also published the findings of its Q3 2022 Seafarers Happiness Index report. The results reflect a continued level of seafarer satisfaction at 7.3/10, up from 7.21 last quarter. This is very encouraging affirmation of all the wellbeing initiatives and investments made by organisations during the pandemic, proving that the efforts made to improve life at sea for seafarers have made some impact. However, while optimism is sustained, there continues to be a lot of room for improvement. Only by addressing these deep-rooted issues can we maintain seafarer happiness at this level and avoid the yo-yo sentiments experienced during the pandemic.

On this note, Standard Club will be collaborating  with Mission to Seafarers and IDWAL Marine on a seafarer wellbeing webinar on 7 December 2022. More news will follow on this.

Additionally, International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) has released their Annual Review 2021-22 as they look back and analyse all that they achieved throughout the year. 11,744 seafarers and family members have received support and assistance from ISWAN and their helpline continues to be free, confidential, multilingual, and available 24/7. The report on Phase Two of their Social Interaction Matters (SIM) project is also available. A total of 21 vessels from 10 different companies participated in their trials and the report provides actionable guidance and recommendations for shipping and ship management companies, seafarers and other maritime stakeholders.

Finally, a 2022 progress report led by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) and the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) reflects on the current situation for seafarers’ rights and welfare, looks at trends in the data from the RightShip Crew Welfare Tool, and identifies areas where further work is needed.

Category: Loss Prevention