On the occasion of World Seafarers' Day on June 25, it is emphasized that the mental health of seafarers - the problem that exists and specific actions of stakeholders in the shipping industry - should be given special attention.
Human sustainability needs to be deepened for the shipping industry, because it all starts and ends in humans. United Nations have promoted the UN sustainability goals, three of which are for human sustainability. The first one is Good health and well-being (Goal 3) which clearly needs to improve at the maritime industry, being the most important one. Next, there is quality education (Goal 4) which can also improve seafarer’s personal development. Then, there is Gender equality (Goal 5); today, women represent only 1.2% percent of the global seafarer workforce as per the BIMCO/ICS 2021 Seafarer Workforce Report. This rate was presented by IMO and there is definitely scope for improvement.
Shipping companies and specific crew department focus on safety and education and less in seafarer’s well-being. Corporate governance plays a crucial role. The difficult thing is not only in implementing the decision to change to a new reality, but also its monitoring over the years. The human element is always the hardest part of change management. The way, in which a seafarer is treated must be changed, safeguards must be created in case something happens. Seafarers are a special category of professionals because the nature of their work is so particular and stressful.
For seafarers, the separation from family and friends is something that is part of the job and yet difficult to deal with. In addition, one can’t just get off the vessel in time, unless it is necessary, in which in case the company must always be by his/her side and listen to his/her concerns and thoughts. All of us, when dealing with problems, we communicate with our family and friends. One other factor that is important to remember, is that life is better among others and therefore socialisation is key. Interacting and forming friendships among crew member helps build team morale and camaraderie. In building morale, group activities and entertainment are important. Although on board the vessel space can be a limiting factor, seafarers can set up group workouts or karaoke nights, can watch films or TV together, or simply have a discussion.
They work and live a significant portion of their lives on vessels, and this in itself impacts their psychology. In addition, lack of rest can cause physical and emotional problems. It’s helpful, shipping-companies are starting to embed courses for team buildings, soft skills like personal development and effective communication, in their training plans. It is important to include psychometric tests in crew assessments as well as provide access for psychological support to those on board. Analyzing what is happening worldwide, with particular emphasis on Greek shipping companies, as the world largest ship-owning nation, it is important to emphasize that efforts are being made towards the right direction. A recent example is a young entrepreneur of Greek origin who has founded a company, which collects and analyses seafarer data on three axes being their personality profile, their clinical profile, and their stress coping profile. The company then provides the aggregated results to the shipping companies with the aim to improve the wellness levels of their seafarers.
In addition to these reasons, there may be others that complicate the psychological state of seafarers during voyages. Harassment and bullying often form a part of a seafarer’s reality and can hardly be understood by anyone who is not on the vessel, especially if seafarers don’t raise these issues to companies. Indicatively, respect for human rights, harassment policies and anti-bullying are areas where new regulations have been enforced.
Also, differences in language and culture makes the daily contact difficult, especially since nowadays there are different nationalities on board and often the lack of communication in a common language creates many problems in coexistence and therefore in efficiency.
Fitness and exercise can help life on board. Τhe phrase «A sound mind in a sound body» by Iuvenalis, says it is representative. Exercise is also a simple yet effective way of improving your mental well-being. During exercise, the ‘happy hormones’ of serotonin and endorphins are released in the human brain, promoting a sense of happiness and well-being. Maintaining a healthy diet is also crucial for good physical and mental health. So, seafarers must eat both quantity and quality food.
Of course, the covid- 19 and the Russia-Ukraine war was burdened the lives of seafarers. It is important to point out that seafarers Happiness Index Report Q1 2022 is on the lowest level for 8 years.
Enduring relationships among Greek Authorities, ship-owners and the seafarers has played a decisive role in the emergence of Greece as the strongest shipping nation, worldwide. In terms of the motivation for choosing a seafaring profession in a country with a maritime tradition, monetary gains can be an important attraction, but they should not be the only one. Seafarers shouldn’t lose the motivation to train and be zealous for what they do, each of them will need to find their own reasons to love the sea. According to Maslow, in order to reach the final stage of the pyramid, ie to be interested in self-development and fulfillment, one must first have met all their previous needs, ie the biological, security, social acceptance and self-esteem. This is something that shipping company are aware of and should factor in their plans for supporting life and work on board, in order to expect positive results. Seafarers perform better if they feel better. This is well reflected in the long-term relationships between seafarers and shipping companies.
It is commonly known that good employers attract and retain the best of crew members in the long run, which in term helps enhance safety on board as well as the performance of the vessel. Remember that due to the fatigue and depression of seafarers, many maritime accidents have been caused (Burnout Syndrome). Everything is created by human for human. This year, on June 25, which is the "Day of the Seafarer", if a commitment is made to boost massive changes towards the common goal of enhancing the well-being of seafarers, this important objective will have excellent prospects to materialize by 2030.
“This essay has been submitted to the Global Maritime Forum Future Maritime Leaders essay competition 2022”.
Katerina Dimitriou, is a graduate of Shipping and Economics undergraduate studies and postgraduate student to the Master in Business Administration at the European University of Cyprus, Volunteer and Human Resources Leader of the YES Forum team - working in Moore Greece as Adviser in Governance, Risk and Compliance.